Mortals Read the Last Olympian
by Angelwingz324
Summary: What if the Mist disapeared? What if the mortals learned that the gods were real? this is what would happen if Percy read the Last Olympian with his english class. Other demigods and maybe gods might come in later.
1. Chapter 1

**What if the mist disapeared? What if the mortals knew about the gods and monsters? This is about what would happen if Percy read the Last Olmpian with his english class. First Fanfiction so please no flames. Constructive Critisive appreciated. Tell me if i should continue.**

Chapter 1

You would think that after saving the world that I would get a break. But noooo I was getting ready for the worst kind of torture there was. School. I had over slept so I missed my ride with Paul, my step-dad who also happened to be my English teacher. Somehow I managed to drive myself to school without crashing the car and hurried in to the classroom just as the bell rang. Paul gave me a small nod and there were some snickers from the class as I slipped into a seat in the back row. As you can tell I'm not exactly the most popular person here. Wait, scratch that, I had _no_ friends here. I used to hang out with Rachel but she had gone to Clarion Ladies Academy, a stupid finishing school for girls that her mom went to.

Paul was just about to start talking when a woman with a book walked in. She looked like a secretary with her hair pulled into a tight bun and an ear piece in her ear. Paul and the women began a heated conversation in whispers, so we couldn't hear them and I saw them look at me a few times and all I could think was, _what had I done this time_? Eventually Paul took the book and the women left.

"Due to a recent change of plans we will be reading a book that will give us a better idea of what happened during the 2nd Titan War." Okay, I guess should explain some things. Right before Kronos was defeated he pulled one last trick and got rid of the mist. It took a while but slowly the mist disappeared and the mortals learned about the Greek gods and monsters and all of that. They knew some things like that Kronos had risen and there had been another war, but they didn't know any details or much else. No one knew I was a demigod and I attended to keep it that way.

Paul sent another glance my way and I began to get an uneasy feeling. "The book will be written in a certain demigod's point of view," _no, please no_, "and he happens to be in this room." _Well there goes my plan of staying secret_ I thought. This, of course, brought whispers to the room. "Who?" some kid called out. I slunk lower in my seat. Paul stared at me and slowly all the kids in the classroom turned their heads to face me.

Taking a deep breath I spoke. "Me." Of course no one believed me. Even though they had come to accept the crazy world that we lived in didn't mean they were ready to believe the loser of the school was a powerful demigod. "Yeah right," someone scoffed, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. "Actually," I said flicking my wrist so that water from someone's bottle shot into the air and stayed there, "I'm a son of Poseidon." I let the water drop back into the bottle. Everyone was silent. "Is he serious," a girl squeaked turning to Paul. "Yes, and I have known for some time now." Paul replied. "Now, without any more questions, let us begin." Paul began to read.

**"The Last Olympian"**

**Next Chapter they will start reading the book**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorite my story it means so much! Pleas no flames. Constuctive Critisim welcome. Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riorden. **

**Disclaimer- Me no own.**

**I go Cruising With Explosives**

_No ones POV_

**The Last Olympian**

**"Chapter 1, I go cruising with explosives."**

At that most people turned around to face Percy, with raised eyebrows. He slumped lower in his seat thinking _they really had to start with this?_

**The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car.**

"Dramatic much?" a kid asked.

"No." was Percy's only answer.

**Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't be sixteen for another week, but my mom and my stepdad, Paul, took my friend Rachel and me to this private stretch of beach on the South Shore, and Paul let us borrow his Prius for a short spin. **

**Now, I know you're thinking, Wow, that was really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah, but Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings, so he probably figured taking a car a few hundred yards wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. **

At that everyone was either looking at Paul or Percy, who just shrugged. Paul kept reading.

**Anyway, Rachael and I were driving along. It was a hot August day. Rachel's red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I'd never seen before, and she looked like a million golden drachmas.**

"Ooooooo." All the girls cooed. "Someone has a crush." Percy blushed sinking even lower in his seat**. **

**"Oh, pull up right there!" she told me.**

**We parked on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea is always one of my favorite places, but today it was especially nice-glittery green smooth as glass, as though my dad was keeping it calm just for us. **

**My dad, by the way, is Poseidon. He can do stuff like that.**

"We know." I kid snorted.

**"So." Rachel smiled at me. "About that invitation." **

**"Oh . . . right." I tried to sound excited. I mean, she'd asked me to her family's vacation house on St. Thomas for three days. I didn't get a lot of offers like that. My family's idea of a fancy vacation was a weekend in a rundown cabin on Long Island with some movie rental and a couple of frozen pizzas, and here Rachel's folks were willing to let me tag along to the Caribbean.**

Everyone looked at him appalled. "Why wouldn't you be excited about that?" "You'll see." Percy answered. The class groaned. They had a feeling that answer would be coming up a lot**. **

**Besides, I seriously needed a vacation. This summer had been the hardest of my life. The idea of taking a break even for a few days was really tempting. **

"Just another reason to want to go." A boy named Todd said. The class nodded confused.

**Still, something big was supposed to go down any day now. I was "on call" for a mission. Even worse, next week was my birthday. There was this prophecy that said when I turned sixteen, bad things would happen. **

"What kind of bad things?" a girl named Leila squeaked. There was only silence to her question.

**"Percy," she said, "I know the timing is bad. But it's always bad for you, right?" **

**She had a point. **

**"I really want to go," I promised. "It's just-" **

**"The war."**

"The titan war?" someone asked. "No duh, what other war would it be?" an annoying jock, Jared answered.

**I nodded. I didn't like talking about it, but Rachel knew. Unlike most mortals, she could see through the Mist-the magic veil that distorts human vision. She'd seen monsters. She'd met some of the other demigods who were fighting the Titans and their allies. She'd even been there last summer when the chopped-up Lord Kronos rose out of his coffin in a terrible new form, and she'd earn my permanent respect by nailing him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush. **

"Rachel could see through the mist?" someone asked. "Forget that she hit the titan lord in the eye with a hairbrush?" another kid pretty much screamed.

"Yeah." Percy said, and he couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"What was his new form?" a girl Riley asked, breaking the silence. "You'll see**." **

**She put her hand on my arm. "Just think about it, okay? We don't leave for a couple of days. My dad . . ." Her voice faltered. **

"Is he giving you a hard time?" I asked.

**Rachel shook her head in disgust. "He's trying to be nice to me, which is almost worse. He wants me to go to Clarion Ladies Academy in the fall." **

"So that's where Rachel went?"

"Yeah." Percy answered.

"Oh my gods(they had caught on to the demigod slang)!" squealed Leila. "I've always wanted to go there! Who wouldn't!?" The other girls nodded there had in agreement

**"The school where your mom went?" **

**"It's a stupid finishing school for society girls, all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me in finishing school?" **

**I admitted the idea sounded pretty dumb. Rachel was into urban art projects and feeding the homeless and going to protest rallies to **

**"Save the Endangered Yellow-bellied Sapsucker" and stuff like that. I'd never even seen her wear a dress. It was hard to imagine her learning to be a socialite. **

"Oh."

**She sighed. "He thinks if he does a bunch of nice stuff for me, I'll feel guilty and give in." **

**"Which is why he agreed to let me come with you guys on vacation?" **

**"Yes . . . but Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favor. It would be so much better if you were with us. Besides, there's something I want to talk-" She stopped abruptly. **

**"Something you want to talk about?" I asked. "You mean . . . so serious we'd have to go to St. Thomas to talk about it?"**

"Obliviooous." The girls sang smiling at a blushing Percy. "No, I swear it wasn't like that!" Percy tried to defend himself. The girls just smiled at him.

**She pursed her lips. "Look just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple for normal people. We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together." **

**I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire. **

**We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bags. **

"Do monsters really attack demigods that often?" a boy, Gerald asked. Percy nodded his head and at the moment a hellhound decided to crash into the room. Everyone screamed, backing up against the wall. Percy uncapped Riptide only to realize it was Mrs. O'Leary.

"It's okay guys!" Percy called "She's harmless" "How is a Hellhound harmless?!" a girl screamed in hysterics, her eyes wide staring at the monster. "She is." Paul agreed, who'd met Mrs. O'Leary once before. "Look." Percy said and began scratching her behind the ears. Mrs. O'Leary started waging her tail making the ground shake. "Mrs. O'Leary is the only tame Hellhound you will ever meet. She's my pet"

"How do you get a pet hellhound?" a boy asked.

"Really long story, but I kind of inherited her when her previous owner died." The class nodded, sill eyeing the Hellhound warily. At that moment a person appeared, seemingly stepping out of the shadows, sending everyone into panic once again.

"Really, Nico?" Percy asked his younger cousin. "Sorry." Nico said shrugging, not looking at all sorry.

"Oh no, Nico that's quite alright." Paul said giving him a smile. "So, did I interrupt anything?"

"We were reading about the 2 Titan War." Someone said, finally getting out of there shock. Nico raised an eyebrow. "It's in Percy's point of view." A girl added. "In that case I'll stay then." Nico decided. He whispered something to Mrs. O'Leary, who disappeared into the shadows and Nico slid into a desk. Everyone eyed the younger Goth kid slowly sliding into seats as far away from the broken wall and Nico as possible.

"You're a demigod?" someone asked.

"Yup, I'm son of Hades." He replied. _That's fitting _they thought.

_Great _Percy thought_ now Nico gets to hear my thoughts too. _Paul began to read again.

**"Okay," I said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people." **

**She nodded. "And so . . . hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"**

"Oooooooo." All the girls cried turning to look at Percy with weird smiles on their faces. Percy blushed deep red. Nico sniggered.

"Oh . . ." I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows-slow, dumb, and bright red. " Um . . ."

"Look Percy, that's how you look right now." Nico said smirking. Everyone laughed and if it was possible, Percy blushed an even deeper red.

**I can't pretend I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than . . . well, than some other girls I knew.**

"I'm going to tell Annabeth you thought that." Nico said._Oh, all the blackmail I could get _Nico thought.

** I didn't have to work hard, or watch what I said, or rack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She let you know how she felt. **

**I'm not sure that I would have done next-but I was so distracted, I didn't notice the huge black form swooping down from the sky until four hooves landed on the hood of the Prius with a WUMP-WUMP-CRUNCH! **

"Saved!" Nico yelled.

**Hey, boss, a voice in my head said. Nice car! **

**Blackjack the Pegasus was an old friend of mine, so I tried not to get too annoyed by the craters he'd just put on the hood; but I didn't think my stepdad would be a real stoked. **

"I wasn't." Paul said. "Sorry." Percy said sheepishly.

"You can talk to horses?" a kid asked, shocked, asking what everyone was thinking. "Um, yeah." Percy said. "Since my dad created horses I can talk to them and other horse related animals like Pegesi." Everyone stared at him. They were still getting used to things and then they find out that that freak was a Son of Poseidon with weird powers. Plus, talking to horses was very weird**. **

**"Blackjack," I sighed. "What are you-" **

**Then I saw who was riding on his back, and I knew my day was about to get more complicated. **

**"'Sup, Percy." **

**Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, would make most monsters cry for their mommies. He was huge; with ripped muscles from working on the forges every summer, two years older than me, and one of the camp's best armor smiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek firebomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Krono's evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went flush. **

Everyone laughed a little at the last line. Percy had a weird way of thinking**. **

**Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a bronze breastplate and war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag was slung over his shoulder. **

**"Time?" I asked.**

"Time for what?" Silence.

**He nodded grimly. **

**A clump formed in my throat. I'd known this was coming. We'd been planning it for weeks, but I'd half hoped it would never happen. Rachel looked up at Beckendorf. "Hi." **

**"Oh, hey. You must be Rachel. Percy's told me . . . uh, I mean he mentioned you." **

"Nice save." A kid snorted.

**Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Really? Good." She glanced at Blackjack, who was clopping his hooves against the hood of the Prius. "So, I guess you guys have to go save the world now." **

Everyone stared at Percy. He didn't look like he could save the world.

**"Pretty much," Beckendorf agreed. **

**I looked at Rachel helplessly. "Would you tell my mom-?" **

**"I'll tell her. I'm sure she's used to it. And I'll explain to Paul about the hood." **

"Now that was a crazy day." Paul said, smiling slightly. It was then that the class realized that their English teacher had known of this strange world long before and they found that hard to believe.

**I nodded my thanks. I figured this might be the last time Paul loaned me his car. **

"You got that right." Paul said interrupting himself once again.

**"Good luck." Rachel kissed me before I could even react. **

"Ooooooo." All the girls cooed again. They were really starting to annoy everyone else.

"You kissed _Rachel?!_" Nico asked baffled. He looked like Christmas had come early. Not that he celebrated Christmas… "I am totally telling Annabeth." Nico said a mischievous smile on his face.

"Who's Annabeth?" A popular girl named Cara asked.

"His girlfriend." Nico told her.

"You cheated on your girlfriend?!" she demanded, baffled that he even _had_ a girlfriend and that he would cheat on her.

"I wasn't dating Annabeth then." A very red Percy said, trying to explain. "And you will most certainly _not _tell Annabeth." He told Nico knowing Annabeth would kill him, invincible or not. "Sure," Nico said, shaking his head "whatever helps you sleep at night." Percy gave him his Death Glare which was very scary and Nico shrunk away. Percy smiled in triumph. He was still secretly planning on telling Annabeth though. Paul began to read once again. 

**"Now, get going, half-blood. Go kill some monsters for me."**

** My last view of her was sitting in the shotgun seat of the Prius, her arms crossed, watching as Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and me into the sky. I wondered what Rachel wanted to talk to me about, and whether I'd live long enough to find out. **

"So pessimistic." The girl, Leila said Tsk, Tsking.

**"So," Beckendorf said, "I'm guessing you don't want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth."**

"He should have." Nico said in mock disappointment. Then he realized what part they were up to. "This is where…" Nico trailed off. Percy nodded confirming his suspicions. Everyone else just looked at the two glum cousins confused.

**"Oh, gods," I muttered. "Don't even think about it." **

Everyone laughed.

**Beckendorf chuckled, and together we soared out over the Atlantic. **

**It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The Princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon-a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord. Then as you got closer, you might notice the giant figurehead-a dark-haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of all the monsters she was being forced to carry. **

**Seeing the ship again twisted my gut into knots. I'd almost died twice on the Princess Andromeda. Now it was heading straight for New York. **

"Twice?" a girl squeaked. Percy just shrugged his shoulders, aware that everyone was once again string at him.

**"You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind. I nodded. We'd done dry runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets. I knew how little time we would have. But I also knew this was our best chance to end Krono's invasion before it ever started. **

"It didn't work." Jared said making everyone glare at him, including Percy, who by far had the scariest one. Jared slumped into his seat, muttering under his breath.

**"Blackjack," I said, "set us down on the lowest stern deck." **

**Gotcha, boss, he said. Man, I hate seeing that boat. Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the Princess Andromeda until he finally escaped with a little help from my friends and me. I figured he'd rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.**

Cue laughter.

**"Don't wait for us," I told him. **

**But, boss-**

**"Trust me," I said. "We'll get out ourselves." **

**Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in my ears. I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship- dracaenas snake-woman, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines-but we zipped by so fast, none of them raised the alarm. We shot down the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off, feeling queasy. **

**Good luck, boss, Blackjack said. Don't let 'em turn you into horse meat! **

"Great encouragement." Leila muttered.

**With that, my old friend flew off into the night. I took my pen**

"A pen?! What's that going to do!?" a girl cried eyes wide. Everyone else had confused looks on their faces. "Just read." Percy said a smug smile on his face as he thought of what their faces would be like when they found out it was really a sword. Paul, knowing about Riptide, continued reading with a small smile on his face.

** out of my pocket and uncapped it, and Riptide sprang to full size-three feet of deadly celestial bronze glowing in the dusk.**

"That is so cool!" everyone yelled. Percy was right, their expression were priceless. Nico began muttering about his sword was cooler.

"Can we see it?" someone asked and everyone nodded in agreement. Percy pulled Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it. Everyone stared at the glowing sword in awe. Percy capped it and Paul started to read again.

** Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I thought it was a map or something. Then I realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light-the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite. They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of us saying "Duh, you guys like each other!" Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than I'd ever seen him.**

"aaahhhh." All the girls cooed. "Will they shut up already?" a boy muttered annoyed.

"We'd make it back to camp," I promised.

**For a second I saw worry in his eyes. Then he put on his old confident smile. **

**"You bet," he said. "Let's go blow Kronos back into a million of pieces." **

"How did he even, you know get back whole again?" The smartest girl in class Marisa asked. I'm surprised she had kept quiet until now. "It's um complicated." Percy said. "It'll probably be explained later." Marisa nodded.

**Beckendorf led the way. We followed a narrow corridor to the service stairwell, just like we'd practiced, but we froze when we heard noises above us. **

**"I don't care what your noses says!" snarled a half-human, half-dog voice-a telkhine. "The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meat loaf sandwich!" **

**"Meat loaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled. "But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!" **

**"Bah, your brain isn't on board!" **

**They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. We descended as quietly as we could. Two floors down, the voices of the telkhines started to fade.**

Everyone was laughing hysterically. "Monsters are so stupid." Nico said shaking his. "Yeah, but that's good for us." Percy agreed. When the laughter died down Paul started to read again.

**Finally, we came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words "engine room." **

**It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chain cutters out of his bag and split the bolt like it was made of butter.**

"That's so cool!" a mischievous kid named Brett yelled. At first Percy had mistaken him for a son of Hermes but he had been wrong. "I need those!"

"Um no you don't." Nico said, terrified about what the kid would do with them. Brett pouted.

**Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telkhine was hunched over a console, but he was so involved with his work, he didn't notice us. He was about five feet tall, with slick black seal fur and stubby little feet. He had the head of a Doberman, but his clawed hands were almost human. He growled and muttered as he tapped on his keyboard. Maybe he was messaging his friends on . **

Once again everyone burst out laughing. "That's totally what he was doing." Nico said shaking his head. Percy blushed lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

**I stepped forward, and he tensed, probably smelling something wrong. He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button, but I blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at me, but one slice of Riptide, and he exploded into dust. **

**"One down," Beckendorf said. "About five thousand to go." **

"More pessimistic thoughts." Leila muttered.

**He tossed me a jar of thick green liquid-Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. **

"You are not allowed to be trusted with that." Nico told Percy, referring to a little incident they had a little while back.

"One time Nico! One time!" Percy said trying to defend himself. Everyone was looking at them curiously but Nico just shook his head gesturing for Paul to read.

**The he threw me another essential tool of the demigod heroes-duct tape.**

"Duct tape? Really?"

"Yup." Percy replied popping the p**. **

**"Slap that one on the console," he said. "I'll get the turnbines." **

**We went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time we were drenched in sweat. **

**The boat kept chugging along. Being the son of Poseidon and all, I have perfect bearings at sea. Don't ask me how, but I could tell er were at 40.l9° North, 7I.90° West, making eighteen knots, which meant the ship would arrive in New York Harbor by dawn.**

"Wow, that's so cool!" Liam yelled who, Percy knew from the swim team.

** This would be our only chance to stop it. **

**I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps-so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign. **

Everyone began to get nervous, especially when they saw Percy and Nico's serious faces.

**I locked eyes with Beckendorf. "How much longer?" **

**"Too long." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least." **

"Not enough time."

**Judging from the sound of the footsteps, we had about ten seconds. **

**"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point." **

**"Percy-" **

**"Wish me luck." **

**He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out without being spotted. But we were going to have to improvise. **

**"Good luck," he said. **

**I charged out the door. **

**A half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with Riptide faster than they could yelp. I kept climbing-past another telkhine, who was so started he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. I left him alive-partly because his lunch box was cool,**

"Percy!" Everyone groaned, thinking he was an idiot.

"Keep reading." Percy said knowing that wasn't his only reason.

** partly so he could raise the alarm and hopefully get his friends to follow me rather than head towards the engine room.**

"Oh"

**I burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom had been clawed up and slimed so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat (and yes, unfortunately, I speak from experience.)**

"Erm… Why were you in a dragons throat?" Everyone's faces were shocked.

"It's a really long story." Percy replied wanting to get this chapter done with.

** Back on my first visit to the Princess Andromeda, my old enemy Luke had kept some dazed tourist on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn't realize they were on a monster-infested ship. Now that I didn't see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings. **

"He killed them all?" Cara gasped her eyes wide. Everyone was horrified.

"Most likely the monsters did." Percy said sadly. "Kronos doesn't care about mortals."

**I reached the promenade, a big shopping mall that took up the whole middle of the ship, and I stopped cold. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain. And in the fountain squatted a giant crab. I'm not talking "giant" like $7.99 all-you-can-eat Alaskan king crab. I'm talking giant like bigger than the fountain. The monster rose ten feet out of the water. Its shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than my body. If you've ever seen a crab's mouth, all foamy and gross with whiskers and snapping bits, you can imagine this one didn't look any better blown up to billboard size.**

Everyone's eyes widened once again**. **_How was he still alive?_ Was the thought that was going through everyone's head.

** Its beady black eyes glared at me, and I could see intelligence in them-and hate. The fact that I was the son of the sea god was not going to win me any points with Mr. Crabby.**

Everyone laughed slightly. "Really Percy? Mr. Crabby?" Nico asked, snorting. Percy shrugged.

** "FFFFfffffff," it hissed, sea foam dripping from its mouth. The smell coming off it was like garbage can full of fish sticks that had been sitting in the sun all week.**

The girls all wrinkled their noses. "Eeeeewww!"

**Alarms blared. Soon I was going to have lots of company and I had to keep moving. **

**"Hey, crabby." I inched around the edge of the courtyard. "I'm just gonna scoot around you so-" **

"Like that's gonna happen."

**The crab moved with amazing speed. It scuttled out of the fountain and came straight at me, pincers snapping. I dove into a gift shop, plowing through a rack if T-shirts. A crab pincer smashed the glass walls to pieces and raked across the room. I dashed back outside, breathing heavily, but Mr. Crabby turned and followed. **

**"There!" a voice said from a balcony about me. **

**"Intruder!" **

**If I'd wanted to create a distraction, I'd succeeded, but this was not where I wanted to fight. If I got pinned down in the center of the ship, I was crab chow. **

**The demonic crustacean lunged at me. I sliced with Riptide, taking off the tip of its claw. It hissed and foamed, but didn't seem very hurt. **

**I tried to remember anything from the old stories that might help with this thing. Annabeth had told me about a monster crab-something about Hercules crushing it under his big food? That wasn't going to work here. This crab was slightly bigger than my Reeboks. **

"Only slightly." Nico said, smirking. Paul however was pale. Percy had never really talked about his demigod life only telling him and Sally the important stuff. Even that had always been the less scary version.

**Then a weird thought occurred to me. Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul Blofis to our old cabin at Montauk, where we'd been going forever. Paul had taken me crabbing, and when he'd brought up a net full of the things, he'd shown me how crabs have a chink in their armor, right in the middle of their ugly bellies. The only problem was getting to the ugly belly. **

Percy gave Paul a smile and he returned happy that he had helped in some odd way.

**I glanced at the fountain, then at the marble floor, already slick from scuttling crab tracks. I held out my hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows of the shops. The crab didn't care. It loved water. It came at me sideways, snapping and hissing and I ran straight at it, screaming, **

**"AHHHHHHH!" **

"What kind of battle cry is Ahhh?" Nico asked looking at Percy.

"It's better than Tyson's battle cry."

"PEANUTBUTTER!" The cousins cried together, laughing. The rest of the class just gave them confused looks. Again.

**Just before we collided, I hit the ground baseball-style and slid on the wet marble floor straight under the creature. It was like sliding under a seven-ton armored vehicle. All the crab had to do was sit and squash me, but before it realized what I was going on, I jabbed Riptide into the chink in its armor, let go of the hilt, and pushed myself out the backside.**

Percy was aware that the class was staring at him in awe. No way could he do that was what they were thinking.

**The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap. **

**I didn't have time to admire my handiwork. I ran for the nearest stairs while all around me monsters and demigods shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed. Riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket sooner or later, but for now it was stuck somewhere under the **

**wreckage of the crab, and I had no time to retrieve it. **

"You're sword can't do that." Jared said getting over his shock from before. Everyone else agreed nodding but Percy could see they were doubtful.

"Oh really?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Percy got up and placed Riptide on Paul's desk then sat back down. He gestured for Paul to keep reading.

**In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of dracaena slithered across my path. From the waist up, they were woman with green scaly skin, yellow eyes, and forked tongues. From the waist down, they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and I knew from experience they could use them. **

**"What is thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronoss!" **

**I wasn't in the mood to play break-the-snake,**

"Break the snake." Someone said slowly shacking their head. He might be a powerful demigod but he was still the same weird Percy.

** but in front of me was a stand with a model of the ship, like a YOU ARE HERE display. I ripped the model off the pedestal and hurled it at the first dracaena. The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship. I jumped over her, grabbed her friend's spear, and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator, and I kept running toward the front of the ship. **

**"Get him!" she screamed. **

**Hellhounds bayed. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past my face and impaled itself in the mahogany-paneled wall of the stairwell. **

**I didn't care-as long as I got the monsters away from the engine room and gave Beckendorf more time. **

"That's brave of you." Leila commented. Percy blushed.

**As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. **

**He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve-about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. That thought depressed me. This kid was getting brain-washed-trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought I was his enemy. **

"That's sad." Everyone nodded in agreement.

**No way was I going to hurt him. I didn't need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. **

**Then I did something I hadn't planned on. It was probably stupid. It definitely jeopardized our mission, but I couldn't help it. **

**"If you want to live," I told him, "get off this ship now. Tell the other demigods." Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next door. **

"Why would you do that?" Todd asked looking at Percy like he was crazy, which he probably was.

"Typical Percy." Nico said, getting confused looks but Nico didn't elaborate. Paul kept reading.

**I kept climbing. **

**Bad memories: a hallway ran past the cafeteria. Annabeth, my half brother Tyson, and I had sneaked through here three years ago on my first visit. **

"Who's Tyson?" a boy asked.

"Tyson's my half-brother. He's a Cyclops."

"Cyclops?" Marisa squeaked. "Cyclops are monsters. Wouldn't he kill you?"

"No Tyson's harmless." Percy told her.

"Harmless?" Nico snorted. "He's the General of the Cyclops Army."

"You know what I mean." Percy said rolling his eyes. Marisa was still looking at them like they were insane, but she didn't say anything.

**I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted. **

**All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad-our emergency rendezvous point. With any luck, Beckendorf would meet me there. We'd jump into the sea. My water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away. **

"It can't be that easy." Todd said. "Something has to go wrong."

**I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. "You're late, Percy." **

**Luke stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, like he was just a normal college guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold. **

**"We've been expecting you for days." At first he sounded normal, like Luke. But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient,and powerful-the voice of the Titan lord Kronos.**

"How was he powerful enough to be Kronos host body?" Marisa asked her voice rising a little.

"He bathed in the River of Styx." Nico told her. Marisa's eyes widened and she looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully kept her mouth shut.

** The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. "Come, bow before me." **

**"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered. **

Once again, the class was staring at him in shock. "I would be shocked if you did." Nico said smirking.

**Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so face unless they'd known I was coming. **

_How was he alive?_

**I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way his voice had changed . . . or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him. A voice in my head said: I have to fight him eventually. Why not now? **

**According to that big prophecy, I was suppose to make a choice that saved or destroyed the world when I was sixteen. That was only seven days away. Why not now? If I really had the power, what difference would a week make?**

"A big difference." Marisa said. She was getting annoying.

** I could end this threat right here by taking down Kronos. Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before.**

"You've fought gods before?" Todd asked. Once again the class was shocked.

"Yeah I've fought Ares." Percy told him.

"And won. When you were 12. With virtually no trading. Against the war god." Nico added, proud of his older cousin.

Percy blushed beat red not liking all the attention. "He provoked me. Read Pa- Mr. Blofis."

** As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was Kronos. I had to remember that. **

**"Come forward," he said. "If you dare." **

**The crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword. **

Percy smirked and pulled out Riptide, still in pen form. Gasps filled the class room and everyone look to where the sword used to be and of course it was gone. Percy smiled smugly and Nico began muttering again about how his sword was still better.

**Krono's weapon appeared in his hands-a six-foot-long scythe, a half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at it made my knees turn to Jell-O. But before I could change my mind, I charged. Time slowed down. I mean literally slowed down, because Kronos had that power. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy, I could barely raise my sword. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death. **

_You should be dead! _Everyone was thinking in their mind but no one said anything.

**I tried to fight his magic. I concentrated on the sea around me-the source of my power. I'd gotten better at channeling it over the year, but now nothing seemed to happen. **

**I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered Dracaenae hissed with laughter. **

**Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day would be good. Suddenly there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing me and Kronos and everyone on the deck. The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell, and I lunged forward. **

It was dead silent. No way could he be that powerful. But he was. Even Nico was shocked**. **_This was crazy._

**I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face- Luke's face-a guy who was once my friend. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him. **

**Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet. **

**"To close." Leila muttered. Even the people who couldn't care less about Percy seemed nervous.**

**I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.**

"What?" Marisa asked, confused. There was no answer.

**Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain. I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos's scythe: Careful, fool. One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body. Now I understood what he meant. I wasn't just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away. **

"No way, you should be dead!" the class was staring at him eyes wide and shocked once again**.**_ He should be dead._

"Well I'm obviously not." Percy said huffing, wanting to disappear. Paul was pale and it took him a few tries to start reading.

**I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that.**

Most people were biting their lip confused and nervous.

**Kronos laughed. "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."**

"Percy's way better then Luke would ever be." Nico said bitterly.

**My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time. **

"Don't be pessimistic." Leila muttered, very nervous.

**"Luke had a big head," I said. "But at least it was his head." **

**"A shame to kill you now," Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus." **

**"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision. **

**"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face-Luke's face-seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?" **

Cue gasps.

**He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!" A teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. I'd saved his life in the Labyrinth last summer, and in return, the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life.**

"That's horrible!" Cara said. "That's not how you repay someone!" she looked utterly confused why someone would do this, but it was war.

"You've been in the Labyrinth?" Marisa piped up, making everyone groan. "But it was destroyed thousands of years ago."

"No." Percy said. "It travels around the world with the gods. It's destroyed now but that's a really long story." Nico nodded his head, remembering how horrible it had been in there.

**"Success, my lord," Ethan called. "We found him just as we were told." **

**He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off. **

**"No!" I yelled. **

**Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible the explosives were armed? **

**Surely the monsters would've dismantled them right away. **

"There's still hope." Leila said trying to be optimistic like always.

**"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?" **

**"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?" **

**"He was going toward the engine room, my lord." **

**"How do you know that?" **

**"Er . . ." Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives." Slowly, I began to understand. Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed! **

"Smart." Marisa noted.

**But that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it. **

**Kronos hesitated. **

**Buy the story, I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand. **

**"Open his bag," Kronos ordered. One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.**

"Monsters are idiots." Nico muttered.

**I could hear Kronos breathing, trying to control his anger. **

**"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the galley?" **

**Ethan turned pale. "Um-" **

**"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?" **

**Ethan scrambled back in terror, then turned on his heels and ran. **

**I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand: How long? **

**He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. Zero. There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first, or disarm the explosives, or both. **

**Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks." He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm-the Titan lord's symbol. **

**The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device . . . spy at camp."**

Percy and Nico saddened remembering Silena. "She died a hero." Percy said softly. Nico nodded slightly. Everyone else was wondering who the spy was with the exeption of Paul.

** Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies." **

"Silena didn't let us down." Percy muttered.

**I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would. **

**Beckendorf mouthed one word: Go. **

**I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him. **

Cue more shocked looks. He was too loyal.

**The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly toward the watch on his right wrist. I wanted to scream, NO! **

**Then down by the swimming pool, one of the dracaenae hissed, **

**"What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?" Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch. **

**I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. I pushed through a crowd of monsters and jumped off the side of the shiptoward the water a hundred feet below. I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ear. An arrow pierced my thigh, but I barely had time to register the pain. I plunged into the sea and willed the currents to take me far, far away-a hundred yards, two hundred yards. **

**Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The Princess Andromeda blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything. **

**Beckendorf, I thought. **

**Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.**

You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet.

"Poor Salina." Cara whispered. More silence. Suddenly the bell rang making everyone jump 5 feet into the air. Percy jumped up dragging his younger cousin after him and slowly followed him out beginning to whisper. They would find out what happened next tomorrow.

**So what did you think? Review or PM me to tell me who you want to come in in the next chapter. I'm a very busy person so I'll probably update at least once a week. **

document here...


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my gods your reveiws make me so happy! A lot of you asked for Annabeth in this chapter but i don't really think this is a good chapter for her to come in but she will soon. This story was reported but i'll continue until they delete it. I don't think they should delete them because were really just honoring the author and his/her story. I honestly, dont really like this chapter but here you go! Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riorden.**

**Disclamer: Me no own.**

I got up later than usual. I was dreading going to school. Yesterday, word had spread about the book and as the other classes read the first chapter the whispers got worse. People whispered and parted as I walked by in the hallway, making me feel very self-conscience. A couple brave people had tried cornering me in the hall and bombarding me with questions, but I always slipped away. And that was only day one. After my mom screamed at me a few more times to get going, I grabbed breakfast for on the go and drove to school. Thankfully Paul and I decided not to tell her about the book.

By the time I walked into the school everyone was already in their classrooms and made it to mine without incident. I was 5 minutes late to class but they hadn't started reading yet. As I walked in people started whispering but I ignored them and slipped to the back. Paul started to read, beginning the dreaded day.

**I MEET SOME FISHY RELATIVES**

**Demigod dreams suck. **

**The thing is, they're never just dreams. They've got to be visions, omens, and all that other mystical stuff that makes my brain hurt. **

**I dreamed I was in a dark palace at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, I recognized it: the palace of the Titans on top of Mount Othrys, otherwise known as Mount Tamalpais, in California. The main pavilion was open to the night, ringed with black Greek columns and statues of the Titans. Torchlight glowed against the black marble floor. In the center of the room, an armored giant struggled under the weight of a swirling funnel cloud-Atlas, holding up the sky. **

Percy stiffened and began fingering the gray steak in his hair, looking up at the ceiling. No one noticed.

**Two other giant men stood nearby over a bronze brazier, studying images in the flames. "Quite an explosion," one said. He wore black armor studded with silver dots like a starry night. His face was covered in a war helm with a ram's horn curling on either side.**

"Krios." Percy growled.

**"It doesn't matter," the other said. This Titan was dressed in gold robes, with golden eyes like Kronos. His entire body glowed. He reminded me of Apollo, God of the Sun, except the Titan's light was harsher, and his expression crueler. **

"Helios." Marisa piped up getting a nod of confirmation from Percy.

"I'm sure Lord Apollo wouldn't appreciate getting compared to him." Hailey commented getting a couple of nods. Percy thought Hailey was pretty cool compared to some of the other kids who went to Goode.

**"The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed." **

"Yeah right!" Leila scoffed.

**The images in the fire were hard to make out: storms, buildings crumbling, mortals screaming in terror.**

Most people shuddered remembering those horrible times. Even if the mortals didn't fight in the war or known one had been going on they had still been affected greatly.

**"I will go east to marshal our forces," the golden Titan said. "Krios, you shall remain and guard Mount Othrys." **

**The ram horn dude grunted. "I always get the stupid jobs. Lord of the South. Lord of Constellations. Now I get to babysit Atlas while you have all the fun." **

Brett snorted earning a few curious looks from the class. "I just thought of Atlas being babysat by some fussy lady trying to get him to eat vegetables or something." He explained, making everyone laugh.

**Under the whirlwind of clouds, Atlas bellowed in agony, "Let me out, curse you! I am your greatest warrior. Take my burden so I may fight!" **

"Somebody has a big ego." Brett said earning snorts and laughter from the boys.

**"Quiet!" the golden Titan roared. "You had your chance, Atlas. You failed. Kronos likes you just where you are. As for you, Krios, do your duty**."

"What did he mean Atlas already had his chance?" Marisa asked.

"It's a long story but he got someone else to hold it for him." Percy explained wincing from the memory. "I've held it and it's horrible. That's where I got the gray streak in my hair. The sky crushes you. You know the sky is actually really heavy. Artemis, Zoe Nightshade, my friends Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia and I tricked him into taking the burden again." He sighed remembering how Zoe had died.

"You've held up the sky?" a scrawny boy named Carlos asked quietly, awe written on his face.

"Of course not you idiot." Jared snapped. "He's probably making this stuff up." People began to shift uncomfortably.

"Why would he make it up?" Cara asked, glaring.

"I don't care if you believe me or not." Percy said scarily calm. "I'm just telling you what happened. People died." His voice cracked a little on the end. You could feel the tension.

Paul cleared his throat and started reading again before things got worse.

**"And if you need more warriors?" Krios asked. "Our treacherous nephew in the tuxedo will not do you much good in a fight." **

"Who's he talking about?" Marisa asked. Anything that confused her in even the slightest bit she needed to question and Percy knew it would start to get really annoying.

"Prometheus." He told her._ Now he was a creep._

**The golden Titan laughed. "Don't worry about him. Besides, the gods can barely handle our first little challenge. They have no idea how many others we have in store. Mark my words, in a few days' time, Olympus will be in ruins, and we will meet here again to celebrate the dawn of the Sixth Age!" **

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" Leila sang lightly.

**The golden Titan erupted into flames and disappeared. **

**"Oh, sure," Krios grumbled. "He gets to erupt into flames. I get to wear these stupid ram's horns." **

There was laughter at that. "Who knew Krios could be so funny." Brett said snorting.

**The scene shifted. Now I was outside the pavilion, hiding in the shadows of a Greek column. A boy stood next to me, eavesdropping on the Titans. He had dark silky hair, pale skin, and dark clothes-my friend Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades. **

"That's the kid from yesterday right?" Hailey asked. Percy nodded.

"Man he was scary." A boy said shivering slightly.

"You do realize you just said you were scared of a thirteen year old, right?" Jared said sharply earning a few glares. Nico was scary.

"What do you expect?" Percy asked glaring at Jared. "He's had a really tuff life. He pretty much lives in the Underworld."

"That's so sad." Leila said softly. She liked to be as optimistic as possible and liked everyone else to be happy.

**He looked straight at me, his expression grim. "You see, Percy?" he whispered. "You're running out of time. Do you really think you can beat them without my plan?"**

"What plan?" Marisa asked.

"Well we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Hailey said a little harshly. Marisa was starting to annoy everyone else too.

**His words washed over me as cold as the ocean floor, and my dreams went black. **

**"Percy?" a deep voice said. **

**My head felt like it had been microwaved in aluminum foil.**

"How would you know what that feels like?" Hailey asked, smirking.

"It's just a figure of speech." Percy grumbled.

** I opened my eyes and saw a large shadowy figure looming over me. **

**"Beckendorf?" I asked hopefully. **

**"No, brother." **

**My eyes refocused. I was looking at a Cyclops-a misshapen face, ratty brown hair, one big brown eye full of concern. "Tyson?" My brother broke into a toothy grin. "Yay! Your brain works!"**

"I see what you mean." Brett said laughing, remembering their conversation concerning Tyson from yesterday.. "Tyson sounds like a pretty funny dude."

Percy snorted. "You have no idea."

** I wasn't so sure. My body felt weightless and cold. My voice sounded wrong. I could hear Tyson, but it was more like I was hearing vibrations inside my skull, not the regular sounds. I sat up, and a gossamer sheet floated away. I was on a bed made of silky woven kelp, in a room paneled with abalone shell. Glowing pearls the size of basketballs floated around the ceiling, providing light. I was under water. **

**Now, being the son of Poseidon and all, I was okay with this. I can breathe underwater just fine, and my clothes don't even get wet unless I want them to. But it was still a bit of a shock when a hammerhead shark drifted through the bedroom window, regarded me, and then swam calmly out the opposite side of the room. **

"That is so cool!" Ryan yelled. He paused for second. "Wait, I just realized something. You're a son of Poseidon, who can breathe underwater and has the all the water at his command and you're on the swim team! Cheater!" Percy shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and Ryan started muttering about how unfair that was.

**"Where-" **

**"Daddy's palace," Tyson said.**

"You've been to Atlantis?!" Leila asked excitedly. "That's so cool! Was it awesome?"

"Yeah but…." Percy trailed off. "You'll see."

**Under different circumstances, I would've been excited. I'd never visited Poseidon's realm, and I'd been dreaming about it for years. But my head hurt. My shirt was still speckled with burn marks from the explosion. My arm and leg wounds had healed-just being in the ocean can do that for me, given enough time-but I still felt like I'd been trampled by a Laistrygonian soccer team in cleats. **

"A Liaistrygonian soccer team." Cara said slowly a smile playing on her lips. "You have a weird way of putting things."

**"How long-" **

**"We found you last night," Tyson said, "sinking through the water." **

**"The Princess Andromeda?" **

**"Went ka-boom," Tyson confirmed.**

"Went ka-boom…"

**"Beckendorf was on board. Did you find . . ." Tyson's face darkened. "No sign of him. I am sorry, brother." I stared out the window into deep blue water. Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in the fall. He had a girlfriend, lots of friends, his whole life ahead of him. He couldn't be gone. Maybe he'd made it off the ship like I had. Maybe he'd jumped over the side . . . and what? He couldn't have survived a hundred-foot fall into the water like I could. He couldn't have put enough distance between himself and the explosion. **

It was quite for a moment. "He shouldn't have died." Leila whispered. Even she knew there was no hope for Beckendorf. He was gone. Paul waited a moment before reading again.

**I knew in my gut he was dead. He'd sacrificed himself to take out the Princess Andromeda, and I had abandoned him. I thought about my dream: the Titans discussing the explosion as if it didn't matter, Nico di Angelo warning me that I would never beat Kronos without following his plan-a dangerous idea I'd been avoiding for more than a year. **

**A distant blast shook the room. Green light blazed outside, turning the whole sea as bright as noon. **

**"What was that?" I asked. **

**Tyson looked worried. "Daddy will explain. Come, he is blowing up monsters." **

"Wooo! Go Poseidon!" Ryan cheered and most of the boys cheered along with him, acting like idiots.

**The palace might have been the most amazing place I'd ever seen if it hadn't been in the process of getting destroyed. We swam to the end of a long hallway and shot upward on a geyser. As we rose over the rooftops I caught my breath-well, if you can catch your breath underwater. **

**The palace was as big as the city on Mount Olympus, with wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. The gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Twenty or thirty buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows. The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights. **

"That sounds beautiful." Leila whispered in awe. The girls nodded in agreement, wistfully wishing they could see it in person.

"It is beautiful." Percy agreed. "When it's not being destroyed." He added under his breath.

**The main courtyard was filled with warriors-mermen with fish tails from the waist down and human bodies from the waist up, except their skin was blue, which I'd never known before. Some were tending the wounded. Some were sharpening spears and swords. One passed us, swimming in a hurry. His eyes were bright green, like that stuff they put in glo-sticks, and his teeth were shark teeth. They don't show you stuff like that in The Little Mermaid.**

"Of course not, Percy." Hailey said shaking her head.

** Outside the main courtyard stood large fortifications-towers, walls, and antisiege weapons-but most of these had been smashed to ruins. Others were blazing with a strange green light that I knew well-Greek fire, which can burn even underwater. **

"Cool!"

**Beyond this, the sea floor stretched into gloom. I could see battles raging-flashes of energy, explosions, the glint of armies clashing. A regular human would've found it too dark to see. Heck, a regular human would've been crushed by the pressure and frozen by the cold. Even my heat-sensitive eyes couldn't make out exactly what was going on. **

**At the edge of the palace complex, a temple with a red coral roof exploded, sending fire and debris streaming in slow motion across the farthest gardens. Out of the darkness above, an enormous form appeared-a squid larger than any skyscraper. It was surrounded by a glittering cloud of dust-at least I thought it was dust, until I realized it was a swarm of mermen trying to attack the monster. The squid descended on the palace and swatted its tentacles, smashing a whole column of warriors. Then a brilliant arc of blue light shot from the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings. The light hit the giant squid, and the monster dissolved like food coloring in water. **

"That sounds terrifying." Cara said her eyes wide.

**"Daddy," Tyson said, pointing to where the light had come from. **

**"He did that?" I suddenly felt more hopeful. My dad had unbelievable powers. He was the god of the sea. He could deal with this attack, right? Maybe he'd let me help.**

A little hope filled the room and Leila was smiling.

**"Have you been in the fight?" I asked Tyson in awe. "Like bashing heads with your awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?" Tyson pouted, and immediately I knew I'd asked a bad question, **

**"I have been . . . fixing weapons," he mumbled. "Come. Let's go find Daddy." **

"Poseidon should let him fight." Todd said. "He obviously wants to."

"But Poseidon might just want to keep him safe." Cara said trying to argue.

"So?" Brett argued back "This is war."

Before Cara could say anything Percy cut her off. "He did let Tyson fight eventually." Percy said, ending the argument.

**I know this might sound weird to people with, like, regular parents, but I'd only seen my dad four or five times in my life, and never for more than a few minutes. The Greek gods don't exactly show up for their kids' basketball games. Still, I thought I would recognize Poseidon on sight. **

**I was wrong. **

**The roof of the temple was a big open deck that had been set up as a command center. A mosaic on the floor showed an exact map of the palace grounds and the surrounding ocean, but the mosaic moved. Colored stone tiles representing different armies and sea monsters shifted around as the forces changed position. Buildings that collapsed in real life also collapsed in the picture. Standing around the mosaic, grimly studying the battle, was a strange assortment of warriors, but none of them looked like my dad. I was searching for a big guy with a good tan and a black beard, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. **

"That's what Poseidon looks like?" Hailey asked confused. Everyone assumed Gods looked all big and powerful wearing armor and ancient Greek styled clothes. Not wearing a _Hawaiian shirt_.

**There was nobody like that. One guy was a merman with two fish tails instead of one. His skin was green, his armor studded with pearls. His black hair was tied in a ponytail, and he looked young though it's hard to tell with non-humans. They could be a thousand years old or three. Standing next to him was an old man with a bushy white beard and gray hair. His battle armor seemed to weigh him down. He had green eyes and smile wrinkles around his eyes, but he wasn't smiling now. He was studying the map and leaning on a large metal staff. To his right stood a beautiful woman in green armor with flowing black hair and strange little horns like crab claws. And there was a dolphin-just a regular dolphin, but it was staring at the map intently. **

"Triton, Amphitrite, Delphin and… Poseidon?" Marisa said trailing off a little at the end. When Percy nodded everyone stared at her shocked.

"How did you know that?" Hailey asked.

""I'm smart." Was all she said.

**"Delphin," the old man said. "Send Palaemon and his legion of sharks to the western front. We have to neutralize those leviathans." The dolphin spoke in a chattering voice, but I could understand it in my mind: Yes, lord! It sped away. **

"You can understand dolphins?" Ryan asked envois.

"Yup." Percy replied.

"No fair." Ryan groaned.

**I looked in dismay at Tyson, then back at the old man. **

**It didn't seem possible, but . . . "Dad?" I asked. The old man looked up. I recognized the twinkle in his eyes, but his face . . . he looked like he'd aged forty years. **

"How is that possible?" Marisa asked very confused. "He's immortal!" Hailey face palmed and no one answered Marisa's question.

**"Hello, Percy." **

**"What-what happened to you?"**

"Noooo!" Hailey groaned "That's not how you talk to a God!"

**Tyson nudged me. He was shaking his head so hard I was afraid it would fall off, but Poseidon didn't look offended. **

Almost everyone looked shocked at this.

**"It's all right, Tyson," he said. "Percy, excuse my appearance. The war has been hard on me." **

**"But you're immortal," I said quietly. "You can look . . . any way you want." **

Most people were thinking the same thing.

**"I reflect the state of my realm," he said. "And right now that state is quite grim. Percy, I should introduce you-I'm afraid you just missed my lieutenant Delphin, God of the Dolphins. This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear- " **

**The lady in green armor stared at me coldly, then crossed her arms and said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in the battle." She swam away. **

"Awkwaaarrrd." Brett said.

"It was." Percy agreed.

**I felt pretty awkward, but I guess I couldn't blame her. I'd never thought about it much, but my dad had an immortal wife. All his romances with mortals, including with my mom . . . well, Amphitrite probably didn't like that much. **

"No not very much at all." Cara said shaking her head.

**Poseidon cleared his throat. "Yes, well . . . and this is my son Triton. Er, my other son."**

"Even more awkward." Brett said.

**"Your son and heir," the green dude corrected. His double fish tails swished back and forth. He smiled at me, but there was no friendliness in his eyes. "Hello, Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?" **

**He acted like I was late or lazy. If you can blush underwater, I probably did.**

"Can you?" Ryan asked.

"Can you what?" Percy asked confused.

"Blush underwater!" Ryan said this like it should be obvious.

"Erm, I don't really know."

**"Tell me what to do," I said. **

**Triton smiled like that was a cute suggestion-like I was a slightly amusing dog that had barked for him or something. He turned to Poseidon. "I will see to the front line, Father. Don't worry. I will not fail." **

**He nodded politely to Tyson. How come I didn't get that much respect? Then he shot off into the water. **

**Poseidon sighed. He raised his staff, and it changed into his regular weapon-a huge three-pointed trident. The tip glowed with blue light, and the water around it boiled with energy. **

"Poseidon's symbol of power." Marisa said.

"No duh. What else could it be?" Jared said sharply. He hadn't said anything in a while and most people had forgotten he was there.

**"I'm sorry about that," he told me. **

**A huge sea serpent appeared from above us and spiraled down toward the roof. It was bright orange with a fanged mouth big enough to swallow a gymnasium.**

"I feel bad for demi-gods." Leila said suddenly making people turn to her confused. "I mean they have to fight all these horrible monsters. Kids our age had to fight in a war." She said trying to explain herself.

There were some nods around the room they hadn't really thought about it much, but it was true.

Jared however, of course, didn't agree. "It's probably not that bad." He said rolling his eyes. "He's probably being over dramatic about everything."

Percy was glaring and was about to say something when Hailey spoke up. "Really?" she said with fake sweetness. "I seem to remember you're very terrified face when Mrs. O'Leary crashed into the wall. You looked like you were about to pee yourself." Everyone started snickering and laughing even Jared's buddies who was growling and red in the face.

"That's enough class." Paul said. "Let's continue reading."

**Hardly looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident at the beast and zapped it with blue energy. Ka-boom! The monster burst into a million goldfish, which all swam off in terror. **

"Lord Poseidon is very powerful." Carlos commented which earned nods of agreement.

**"My family is anxious," Poseidon continued as if nothing had happened. "The battle against Oceanus is going poorly." He pointed to the edge of the mosaic. With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull. He appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by crawfish, and instead of a sword he wielded a live serpent. **

"What kind of weapon is that?" asked Ryan.

Percy shrugged his shoulders and Marisa looked annoyed that she didn't know.

**"Oceanus," I said, trying to remember. "The Titan of the sea?" Poseidon nodded. "He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is . . . well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side."**

"Well, he still picked the wrong side." Leila said looking highly annoyed.

**"He looks stupid," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "I mean, who fights with a snake?" **

"Apparently Oceanus does." Brett said with mock seriousness.

**"Daddy will tie it in knots," Tyson said firmly.**

Everyone smiled, especially Leila.

** Poseidon smiled, but he looked weary. "I appreciate your faith. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed. And still he finds new forces to throw at me-sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them." **

"That's not good. Not good at all."

**I heard an explosion in the distance. About half a mile away, a mountain of coral disintegrated under the weight of two giant creatures. I could dimly make out their shapes. One was a lobster. The other was a giant humanoid like a Cyclops, but he was surrounded by a flurry of limbs. At first I thought he wearing a bunch of giant octopi.**

"Because that's totally it." Brett said, rolling his eyes.

** Then I realized they were his own arms-a hundred flailing, fighting arms.**

"Briares!" Marisa said, obviously looking pleased with herself.

"Who?" asked Carlos, making everyone groan. She was about to launch into a huge explanation but Paul cut her off by starting to read again.

**"Briares!" I said.**

A couple people snickered and Percy blushed.

**I was happy to see him, but he looked like he was fighting for his life. He was the last of his kind-a Hundred-Handed One, cousin of the Cyclopes. We'd saved him from prison last summer, and I knew he'd come to help Poseidon, but I hadn't heard of him since. **

"I didn't know he was the last one." Marisa said and began muttering about something no one could hear.

**"He fights well," Poseidon said. "I wish we had a whole army like him, but he is the only one." **

"Now that, would have been awesome!" Brett yelled.

**I watched as Briares bellowed in rage and picked up the lobster, which thrashed and snapped its pincers. He threw it off the coral mountain, and the lobster disappeared into the darkness.**

"Harsh." Brett said. "What did that lobster ever do to you?"

"You're an idiot." Hailey said smacking him upside the head. Percy was reminded of Katie Gardner and Travis Stoll.

** Briares swam after it, his hundred arms spinning like the blades of a motorboat. **

**"Percy, we may not have much time," my dad said. "Tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?" **

"He might have, just maybe." Brett said sarcastically earning another smack from Hailey.

**I told him everything, though my voice choked up when I explained about Beckendorf. I looked down at the courtyards below and saw hundreds of wounded mermen lying on makeshift cots. I saw rows of coral mounds that must've been hastily made graves. I realized Beckendorf wasn't the first death. He was only one of hundreds, maybe thousands. I'd never felt so angry and helpless. **

Percy sighed and looked down at the desk remembering all the deaths and the helpless feeling of watching someone die and not being able to do anything. His classmates were quite. They didn't know how that most feel but knew that what had happened was horrible and people who shouldn't of died, had.

**Poseidon stroked his beard. "Percy, Beckendorf chose a heroic death. You bear no blame for that. Kronos's army will be m disarray. Many were destroyed." **

"But that might not be enough." Marisa said making most people glare at her. Marisa just shrugged indifferent.

**"But we didn't kill him, did we?"**

"Of course not." Marisa said snottily, making the glares harden.

**As I said it, I knew it was a naive hope. We might blow up his ship and disintegrate his monsters, but a Titan lord wouldn't be so easy to kill. **

"Of course not." Marisa repeated. "Have sense." Percy wanted to slap her across the face but held himself back.

**"No," Poseidon admitted. "But you've bought our side some time." **

"Time." Leila repeated.

**"There were demigods on that ship," I said, thinking of the kid I'd seen in the stairwell. Somehow I'd allowed myself to concentrate on the monsters and Kronos. I'd convinced myself that destroying their ship was all right because they were evil, they were sailing to attack my city, and besides, they couldn't really be permanently killed. Monsters just vaporized and re-formed eventually. But demigods . . .**

Percy sighed heavily. Even if they had made some wrong choses they didn't deserve to die. Leila felt the same way.

**Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder. "Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not . . . they chose their path."**

"That's not fair…" Leila said slowly. They deserved a second chance. Percy smiled at her in understanding.

**"They were brainwashed!" I said. "Now they're dead and Kronos is still alive. That's supposed to make me feel better?" I glared at the mosaic-little tile explosions destroying tile monsters. It seemed so easy when it was just a picture. Tyson put his arm around me. If anybody else had tried that, I would've pushed him away, but Tyson was too big and stubborn. He hugged me whether I wanted it or not.**

"Ahhhhh." The girls cooed and the boys rolled their eyes at them.

** "Not your fault, brother. Kronos does not explode good. Next time we will use a big stick."**

"Ha! A big stick. That will really help." Brett said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

**"Percy," my father said. "Beckendorf's sacrifice wasn't in vain. You have scattered the invasion force. New York will be safe for a time, which frees the other Olympians to deal with the bigger threat."**

"Bigger threat?"

**"The bigger threat?" I thought about what the golden Titan had said in my dream: The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed. **

"Never."

**A shadow passed over my father's face. "You've had enough sorrow for one day. Ask Chiron when you return to camp." **

**"Return to camp? But you're in trouble here. I want to help!" **

**"You can't, Percy. Your job is elsewhere." **

"You're job? What job?" Marisa asked making everyone roll their eyes.

**I couldn't believe I was hearing this. I looked at Tyson for backup. **

**My brother chewed his lip. "Daddy . . . Percy can fight with a sword. He is good."**

"I think good would be putting it lightly." Hailey said getting confused glances. "I mean he fought Kronos." Percy blushed deeply as people nodded and agreed.

"Please." Jared sneered, but before he could continue, Percy was at him with Riptide at his throat.

"You want to continue?" he asked deathly calm. Jared gulped and said nothing. Percy walked back to his seat and acted like nothing happened. Paul cleared his throat and continued reading a little uncomfortably.

**"I know that," Poseidon said gently. **

**"Dad, I can help," I said. "I know I can. You're not going to hold out here much longer." **

**A fireball launched into the sky from behind the enemy lines. I thought Poseidon would deflect it or something, but it landed on the outer corner of the yard and exploded, sending mermen tumbling through the water. Poseidon winced as if he'd just been stabbed. **

**"Return to camp," he insisted. "And tell Chiron it is time." **

"Time for what?" Marisa asked.

"Well maybe if you just waited and listened you would find out." Hailey snapped.

"For what?"

**"You must hear the prophecy. The entire prophecy." I didn't need to ask him which prophecy. I'd been hearing about the "Great Prophecy" for years, but nobody would ever tell me the whole thing. All I knew was that I was supposed to make a decision that would decide the fate of the world-but no pressure. **

"Yeah, no pressure." Brett said. "None at all."

**"What if this is the decision?" I said. "Staying here to fight, or leaving? What if I leave and you . . ." I couldn't say die. Gods weren't supposed to die, but I'd seen it happen. Even if they didn't die, they could be reduced to nearly nothing, exiled, imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus like Kronos had been. **

"Pan faded." Percy said softly remembering how even gods could be no more. People sent him confused looks but they knew he wasn't going to explain and Paul continued reading.

**"Percy, you must go," Poseidon insisted. "I don't know what your final decision will be, but your fight lies in the world above. If nothing else, you must warn your friends at camp. Kronos knew your plans. You have a spy. We will hold here. We have no choice." Tyson gripped my hand desperately. "I will miss you, brother!" Watching us, our father seemed to age another ten years.**

"Awwwww." The girls cooed. "He cares about his sons!"

**"Tyson, you have work to do as well, my son. They need you in the armory." **

"Let him fight!" a wrestler named Andrew yelled.

Tyson pouted some more.

**"I will go," he sniffled. He hugged me so hard he almost cracked my ribs. "Percy, be careful! Do not let monsters kill you dead!"**

"That would be bad." Brett said in mock seriousness.

**I tried to nod confidently, but it was too much for the big guy. He sobbed and swam away toward the armory, where his cousins were fixing spears and swords. **

The girls cooed again

**"You should let him fight," I told my father. "He hates being stuck in the armory. Can't you tell?" **

**Poseidon shook his head. "It is bad enough I must send you into danger. Tyson is too young. I must protect him." **

"I didn't know the gods cared so much." Cara commented and winced as thunder rumbled.

"They do. There just busy." Percy told her

**"You should trust him," I said. "Not try to protect him." Poseidon's eyes flared. I thought I'd gone too far, but then he looked down at the mosaic and his shoulders sagged. On the tiles, the mermaid guy in the crawfish chariot was coming closer to the palace. **

**"Oceanus approaches," my father said. "I must meet him in battle." I'd never been scared for a god before, but I didn't see how my dad could face this Titan and win. **

"Have some faith." Leila said, shaking her head. Percy just shrugged his shoulders.

**"I will hold," Poseidon promised. "I will not give up my domain. Just tell me, Percy, do you still have the birthday gift I gave you last summer?" **

"What birthday gift?" Marisa asked. She was ignored.

**I nodded and pulled out my camp necklace. It had a bead for every summer I'd been at Camp Half-Blood, but since last year I'd also kept a sand dollar on the cord. My father had given it to me for my fifteenth birthday. He'd told me I would know when to "spend it," but so far I hadn't figured out what he meant. All I knew was that it didn't fit the vending machines in the school cafeteria. **

"I don't think so, Percy." Brett laughed.

**"The time is coming," he promised. "With luck, I will see you for your birthday next week, and we will have a proper celebration." He smiled, and for a moment I saw the old light in his eyes. Then the entire sea grew dark in front of us, like an inky storm was rolling in. Thunder crackled, which should've been impossible underwater. A huge icy presence was approaching. I sensed a wave of fear roll through the armies below us. **

**"I must assume my true godly form," Poseidon said. "Go-and good luck, my son." **

**I wanted to encourage him, to hug him or something, but knew better than to stick around. When a god assumes his true form, the power is so great that any mortal looking on him will disintegrate. **

"Wow."

**"Good-bye, Father," I managed. **

**Then I turned away. I willed the ocean currents to aid me. Water swirled around me, and I shot toward the surface at speeds that would've caused any normal human to pop like a balloon. When I looked back, all I could see were flashes of green and blue as my father fought the Titan, and the sea itself was torn apart by the two armies.**

Everyone started talking at once and shooting questions at Percy. Paul tried to quite them down but to no avail. When the bell rang Percy ducked away weaving through the crowd and somehow getting away. It was a long day ahead of him.

**Please Reveiw! Please no Flames! Constructive critisisim welcome! See you next time and yours in demigodishness as Leo would put it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thankyou so much to all my reviewers and new followers and favoriters! (Is favoriters a word?) Anyway Annabeth is in this chapter. Yay! Also Happy Presidents Day! Who's on February break? I was suppose to but because of hurricane sandy, we lost, like, three weeks of school and we lost our February break. Anywho enjoy the chapter! Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riordan.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own! **

**I GET A SNEAK PEEK AT MY DEATH**

I wasn't that late to school today and as I got out of my car and approached the front doors to Goode, there was still a few people milling around. They paid me no attention for which I was thankful. As I got closer I saw a tuff of curly blond hair. "Annabeth!" I yelled, running over and gave her a hug. We were going to Camp Half-Blood this weekend and I had been expecting to meet her after school so I could drive us there.

"Hey Percy." She said, hugging me back and we kissed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Well she said giving me a sly grin. "Somebody might have told me you were reading about you in your English class and thought I might stop by to read with you."

"Nico." I growled, but then I gave Annabeth a smile and offered her my arm. "Well we better get going shall we?" I asked in horrible British accent.

"We shall." She said taking my arm and together we walked into my school.

"Annabeth is going to read with us." I told Paul as I walked into my classroom, just on time.

"Of course." Paul said giving Annabeth a smile and she returned it well Samantha sat up straighter in her seat.

Samantha was the head cheerleader and was always getting in other peoples love life. She was rich and her dad was a lawyer, well her mom was famous actress. She called herself the Couples Councilor, which was ironic, considering since she couldn't keep a relationship for more than a week. "You're Annabeth?" she asked and when Annabeth nodded she squealed. "Percy kissed Rachel." She told her matter a factly and I groaned

"You did what?!" Annabeth demanded.

"She kissed me!" I said trying to defend myself. "And it was before we were dating!"

Annabeth seemed a little calmer after that, but she still punched me in the gut. Hard. Of course that should have hurt a lot, but because of the Curse, I didn't feel anything and Annabeth was holding her hand, muttering curses in Ancient Greek. The class was looking at us in confusion, but I didn't explain as I lead Annabeth to my seat in the back. She was still mad about the whole Rachel thing, Percy could tell.

Paul cleared his throat. "Let's us begin." He said and began reading.

**If you want to be popular at Camp Half-Blood, don't come back from a mission with bad news. **

**Word of my arrival spread as soon as I walked out of the ocean.**

"How?" Cara asked. And she thought gossip at their school traveled fast.

**Our beach is on the North Shore of Long Island, and it's enchanted so most people can't even see it.**

"Why can't we see it now that the Mist is gone?" Marisa asked. Most people were thinking the same thing.

Thankfully, Annabeth answered. "Because it's not the Mist that covers it. It's just enchanted so that only demigods and gods and monsters and stuff can see it. If a mortal were to walk into camp though, they would be able to see it" she explained. Marisa nodded her head obviously pleased with the long answer.

** People don't just appear on the beach unless they're demigods or gods or really, really lost pizza delivery guys. (It's happened-but that's another story.)**

"Please, please, please tell it." Brett begged. Percy smiled and was about to tell the hilarious story when Paul cut him off. "That is, like it said in the book, a story for another time." The boys including Percy groaned in disappointment. Annabeth was smiling from the memory. It had been very pretty funny.  
** Anyway, that afternoon the lookout on duty was Connor Stoll from the Hermes cabin. When he spotted me, he got so excited he fell out of his tree.**

The room burst into laughter.

** Then he blew the conch horn to signal the camp and ran to greet me. **

"Wait to they find out Beckendorf didn't make it." A boy muttered.

**Connor had a crooked smile that matched his crooked sense of humor. He's a pretty nice guy, but you should always keep one hand on your wallet when he's around, and do not, under any circumstances, give him access to shaving cream unless you want to find your sleeping bag full of it.**

"I so need to meet him!" Brett yelled.

** He's got curly brown hair and is a little shorter than his brother, Travis, which is the only way I can tell them apart. They are both so unlike my old enemy Luke it's hard to believe they're all sons of Hermes. **

**"Percy!" he yelled. "What happened? Where's Beckendorf?" Then he saw my expression, and his smile melted. "Oh, no. Poor Silena. Holy Zeus, when she finds out . . ." **

"She'll be crushed." Cara said softly. Percy put his arm around Annabeth remembering.

**Together we climbed the sand dunes. A few hundred yards away, people were already streaming toward us, smiling and excited. Percy's back, they were probably thinking. He's saved the day! Maybe he brought souvenirs!**

"Why would you bring back souvenirs from a mission?" Hailey asked, eyebrows raised.

Percy shrugged blushing lightly and Annabeth smirked. "Better not to question Seaweed Brain's thoughts." She said, making everyone laugh.

**I stopped at the dining pavilion and waited for them. No sense rushing down there to tell them what a loser I was. **

"That's right you are a loser." Jared sneered. Mostly everyone glared and Annabeth was about to stand up but Percy stopped her.

"You did your best and completed the mission." Leila said comfortingly. Annabeth was still glaring at Jared her stormy gray eyes burning into him. Percy sighed heavily. Sometimes his best wasn't enough.

Paul quickly started reading again.

**I gazed across the valley and tried to remember how Camp HalfBlood looked the first time I ever saw it. That seemed like a bajillion years ago. **

**From the dining pavilion, you could see pretty much everything. Hills ringed the valley. On the tallest, Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree stood with the Golden Fleece hanging from its branches, magically protecting the camp from its enemies**.

"Your camp has the real Golden Fleece?" Marisa asked excitedly. The demigods nodded. "We had a quest to find it after Luke poisoned Thalia's tree and the boundaries were weakened so that monsters could come in." Marisa was smiling and was about to ask Annabeth another question, but Brett beat her to it.

"Who names a tree?" he asked. Annabeth ducked her down as bad memories came rushing back.

Percy answered, while comforting Annabeth. "Thalia, daughter of Zeus, was coming up to Camp Half-Blood they were overrun by monsters so she told the two other demigods and the satyr to go. She took on all the monsters by herself and as she was dying Zeus took pity on her and turned her into a pine tree." He told them. Most people could figure out Annabeth had been one of the other demigods with Thalia but before anyone could asks questions Paul started reading after a gesture from Percy.

** The guard dragon Peleus was so big now I could see him from here-curled around the tree trunk, lending up smoke signals as he snored.**

"You guys have a dragon as a guard?!" Brett asked "That's so cool! Wouldn't he attack the demigods though?"

"He only attacks intruders or enemies." Percy replied smirking.

"Cool!"

"See the demigods can't take care of themselves." Jared sneered. He was ignored.

**To my right spread the woods. To my left, the canoe lake glittered and the climbing wall glowed from the lava pouring down its side. **

"Lava?" a girl squeaked.

"Little extra challenge."

**Twelve cabins-one for each Olympian god-made a horseshoe pattern around the commons area. Farther south were the strawberry fields, the armory, and the four-story Big House with its sky blue paint job and its bronze eagle weathervane**.

"I wish I could see that." Leila said wistfully, earning nods.

**In some ways, the camp hadn't changed. But you couldn't see the war by looking at the buildings or the fields. You could see it in the faces of the demigods and satyrs and naiads coming up the hill. There weren't as many at camp as four summers ago. Some had left and never come back. Some had died fighting. Others-we tried not to talk about them-had gone over to the enemy.**

"That's horrible." Leila whispered. Nobody else really had words for that paragraph. Percy and Annabeth were, quite lost in memories of those days.

**The ones who were still here were battle-hardened and weary. There was little laughter at camp these days. Even the Hermes cabin didn't play so many pranks. It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.**

"I cannot imagine life like that." Brett said looking horrified.

"It was horrible." Percy agreed. His arm was still wrapped around Annabeth's shoulders.

**Chiron galloped into the pavilion first, which was easy for him since he's a white stallion from the waist down.**

"Chiron? As in Chiron from the myths? Trainer of Heroes and Hercules?" Marisa asked, eyes wide. When Annabeth nodded she squealed. Yes, actually squealed. "But didn't he die like a really long time ago?"

Annabeth shook her head. "The gods granted him his wish to continue training heroes for as long as humanity needed him. If he's still here, we still need him. Chiron's like a second father to me."

"Wow." Marisa breathed. Her classmates shook their heads. The things that got her exited they thought, but they had to admit that is cool.

"Teaching demigods for all eternity wouldn't exactly be on the top of my wish list.' Brett said.

"That's exactly what I thought." Percy said, earning laughter.

** His beard had grown wilder over the summer. He wore a green T-shirt that said MY **

**OTHER CAR IS A CENTAUR**

A couple people laughed lightly. "I don't get it." Brett said. Hailey rolled her eyes and no one told him mostly due to the fact that half the class didn't know either.

** and a bow slung over his back. **

**"Percy!" he said. "Thank the gods. But where . . ." Annabeth ran in right behind him, and I'll admit my heart did a little relay race in my chest when I saw her.**

"Oooohh." The girls cooed and Percy and Annabeth both blushed. Percy wished he could disappear. He was really starting to hate people hearing his thoughts.

** It's not that she tried to look good. We'd been doing so many combat missions lately, she hardly brushed her curly blond hair anymore, and she didn't care what clothes she was wearing-usually the same old orange camp T-shirt and jeans, and once in a while her bronze armor.**

"That's not the way to look for your future boyfriend." Samantha said in bored tone looking at her nails. She was ignored.

**Her eyes were stormy gray. Most of the time we couldn't get through a conversation without trying to strangle each other.**

"Ah young love." Samantha commented. I swear she was like a mini Aphrodite.

** Still, just seeing her made me feel fuzzy in the head. Last summer, before Luke had turned into Kronos and everything went sour, there had been a few times when I thought maybe . . . well, that we might get past the strangle-eachother phase.**

Percy and Annabeth were both blushing deeply and refused to look at each other.

**"What happened?" She grabbed my arm. "Is Luke-" **

**"The ship blew up," I said. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where-" **

**Silena Beauregard pushed through the crowd. Her hair wasn't combed and she wasn't even wearing makeup, which wasn't like her.**

"Poor Selena."

**"Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.**

"Who's Charlie?" Brett asked making Hailey slap him.

"Charlie's Beckendorf you idiot!" She said.

"Oh."

**I glanced at Chiron helplessly. **

**The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House-" **

**"No," she muttered. "No. No." **

**She started to cry, and the rest of us stood around, too stunned to speak. We'd already lost so many people over the summer, but this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp. **

Annabeth bit her lip. She was regretting coming to read the chapter. To many bad memories.

**Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward. She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever-a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess-but ever since Silena had given Clarisse advice last summer about her first boyfriend, Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard. **

That raised a couple of eyebrows. It really was an odd friendship.

**Clarisse was dressed in her bloodred combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandana. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Silena. **

"I wouldn't think that was possible." Brett muttered.

**"Come on, girl," she said. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."**

"When something bad happens why do girls always have chocolate." Todd asked earning nods of agreement from the boys and glares from the girls.

"Because its comfort food." Cara snapped rolling her eyes

**Everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to the cabins. Nobody was excited to see me now. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown-up ship. **

**Only Annabeth and Chiron stayed behind. **

**Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."**

Annabeth blushed lightly and rolled her eyes at the coos from some of the girls.

**"Thanks," I said. "Me too." **

Some people laughed.

**Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?" **

**I didn't want to go through it again, but I told them the story, including my dream about the Titans. I left out the detail about Nico. Nico had made me promise not to tell anybody about his plan until I made up my mind, and the plan was so scary I didn't mind keeping it a secret. **

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me." Annabeth said, annoyed.

"You wouldn't have let me do it." Percy said trying to defend himself. Annabeth didn't say anything else, proving Percy was right.

"What plan?!" everyone almost screamed.

"You'll find out soon." Percy said. Annabeth still seemed miffed.

**Chiron gazed down at the valley. "We must call a war council immediately, to discuss this spy, and other matters." **

"Oo war council." Andrew said happily.

**"Poseidon mentioned another threat," I said. "Something even bigger than the Princess Andromeda. I thought it might be that challenge the Titan had mentioned in my dream." **

What could be bigger than a boat full of monsters? Nobody asked that question out loud, knowing they would just get some vague answer.

**Chiron and Annabeth exchanged looks, like they knew something I didn't. I hated when they did that. **

"When do we do that?" Annabeth asked half-heartedly.

"All the time." Percy replied.

**"We will discuss that also," Chiron promised. **

**"One more thing." I took a deep breath. "When I talked to my father, he said to tell you it's time. I need to know the full prophecy." Chiron's shoulders sagged, but he didn't look surprised. "I've dreaded this day. Very well. Annabeth, we will show Percy the truth-all of it. Let's go to the attic."**

"Why would you go to the attic?" Marisa asked. Percy and Annabeth both shuddered.

"That's where the oracle lived." Annabeth answered.

Marisa thought about that for a second before answering. "You said lived. What happened to her?"

When Annabeth didn't answer Brett spoke up. "Why would you keep your oracle in the attic? That's cruel." Annabeth sighed frustrated.

"You'll find out." She said shortly. Paul took that as his cue to start reading.

**I'd been to the Big House attic three times before, which was three times more than I wanted to. **

"What scared of the little attic?" Jared taunted.

"No. What's in the attic." Percy calmly corrected. "And you would be scared to. Probably go insane."

Everyone shuddered and Jared backed down. _What could be so scary up there?_

**A ladder led up from the top of the staircase. I wondered how Chiron was going to get up there, being half horse and all, but he didn't try. **

**"You know where it is," he told Annabeth. "Bring it down, please." Annabeth nodded. "Come on, Percy." **

**The sun was setting outside, so the attic was even darker and creepier than usual. Old hero trophies were slacked every where dented shields, pickled heads in jars from various monsters, a pair of fuzzy dice on a bronze plaque that read: STOLEN FROM CHRYSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC, BY GUS, SON OF HERMES, **

**1988. **

"You guys just have stuff like that lying around?" Marisa asked. "Shouldn't it be in a museum or something?"

Annabeth shook her head. "It's rightfully ours." Annabeth had decided she really didn't like her, although she might be a really far down descendant of Athena.

**I picked up a curved bronze sword so badly bent it looked like the letter M. I could still see green stains on the metal from the magical poison that used to cover it. The tag was dated last summer. It read: Scimitar of Kampê, destroyed in the Battle of the Labyrinth. **

"Battle of the Labyrinth?" Marisa asked curiously.

"It's a really long story." Percy replied not wanting to dwell on the bad memories.

"**You remember Briares throwing those boulders?" I asked. Annabeth gave me a grudging smile. "And Grover causing a Panic?"**

"What the Hades is a Panic?" Brett asked, very confused.

"The Panic was one of Pans powers." Marisa piped up before Annabeth could say anything.

** We locked eyes. I thought of a different time last summer, under Mount St. Helens, when Annabeth thought I was going to die and she kissed me. **

"Oh my gods." Samantha squealed. Percy and Annabeth were both beat red and looking at the ground. "You kissed him and he still didn't get the message?" she asked bouncing in her seat. If it was possible Percy and Annabeth blushed even more.

"Okay Samantha that's enough." Paul said smiling at his step-son's discomfort. Samantha huffed and Paul started reading again.

**She cleared her throat and looked away. "Prophecy." **

**"Right." I put down the scimitar. "Prophecy." We walked over to the window. On a three-legged stool sat the Oracle-a shriveled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress. Tufts of black hair clung to her skull. Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face. Just looking at her made my skin crawl. **

"Eeew." The most of the girls said, disgusted. The boys weren't looking that hot either. Percy and Annabeth both shuddered, remembering their own times to times to the attic.

**If you wanted to leave camp during the summer, it used to be you had to come up here to get a quest.** **This summer, that rule had been tossed. Campers left all the time on combat missions. We had no choice if we wanted to stop Kronos.**

Some of Percy's classmates shook their heads. Summer was time for fun, not fighting for your life.

**Still, I remembered too well the strange green mist-the spirit of the Oracle-that lived inside the mummy. She looked lifeless now, but whenever she spoke a prophecy, she moved. Sometimes fog gushed out of her mouth and created strange shapes. Once, she'd even left the attic and taken a little zombie stroll into the woods to deliver a message. **

"When did she do that?" Annabeth asked bewildered.

"That time when you were kidnapped." Percy told her. "The prophecy she told Zoe."

"Oh."

The rest of the class was confused, but didn't ask questions. The gushing green spoke thing was pretty creepy.

**I wasn't sure what she'd do for the "Great Prophecy." I half expected her to start tap dancing or something. **

The room burst out laughing and Annabeth faced palmed. "The things that go through your head, Seaweed Brain." She muttered. Percy just shrugged, un-embarrassed.

But she just sat there like she was dead-which she was.

**"I never understood this," I whispered. **

**"What?" Annabeth asked. **

**"Why it's a mummy."**

Everyone looked at Annabeth, wondering the same thing.

**"Percy, she didn't used to be a mummy. For thousands of years the spirit of the Oracle lived inside a beautiful maiden. The spirit would be passed on from generation to generation. Chiron told me she was like that fifty years ago." Annabeth pointed at the mummy. "But she was the last." **

"What happened?" Marisa asked and Annabeth felt like smacking her.

"You'll find out, if you let Mr. Blofis read." She said slowly.

**"What happened?"**

The class broke into snickers.

**Annabeth started to say something, then apparently changed her mind. "Let's just do our job and get out of here." I looked nervously at the Oracle's withered face. "So what now?" Annabeth approached the mummy and held out her palms. "O Oracle, the time is at hand. I ask for the Great Prophecy." I braced myself, but the mummy didn't move. Instead, Annabeth approached and unclasped one of its necklaces. I'd never paid too much attention to its jewelry before. I figured it was just hippie love beads and stuff.**

"Why would a decades old mummified Oracle, be wearing hippie love beads?" Annabeth asked, one of her eyebrows raised. Around her the class was laughing. Percy didn't have an answer for Annabeth.

** But when Annabeth turned toward me, she was holding a leather pouch-like a Native American medicine pouch on a cord braided with feathers. She opened the bag and took out a roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky. **

**"No way," I said. "You mean all these years, I've been asking about this stupid prophecy, and it's been right there around her neck?" **

"That must have sucked." Todd said.

**"The time wasn't right," Annabeth said. "Believe me, Percy, I read this when I was ten years old, and I still have nightmares about it." **

"What could be so bad about it?" Somebody asked, voicing everyone's thought. There was no answer.

"Great," I said. "Can I read it now?"

**"Downstairs at the war council," Annabeth said. "Not in front of . . . you know." **

**I looked at the glassy eyes of the Oracle, and I decided not to argue. We headed downstairs to join the others. I didn't know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic. **

"Foreshadowing." Marisa said.

**The senior counselors had gathered around the Ping-Pong table.**

"The Ping-Pong table?" Andrew said. "You guys have war council around a Ping-Pong table? Okay. Sure."

** Don't ask me why, but the rec room had become the camp's informal headquarters for war councils. When Annabeth, Chiron, and I came in, though, it looked more like a shouting match. **

**Clarisse was still in full battle gear. Her electric spear was strapped to her back. **

"Electric spear? That's so cool!" Andrew yelled.

**(Actually, her second electric spear, since I'd broken the first one. She called the spear "Maimer." Behind her back, everybody else called it "Lamer.")**

Snickers from the class.

** She had her boar-shaped helmet under one arm and a knife at her belt. **

**She was in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew, the new head counselor for Apollo, which looked kind of funny since Clarisse was a foot taller. Michael had taken over the Apollo cabin after Lee Fletcher died in battle last summer. Michael stood four feet six, with another two feet of attitude. He reminded me of a ferret, with a pointy nose and scrunched-up features-either because he scowled so much or because he spent too much time looking down the shaft of an arrow. **

"Real intimidating." Jared said rolling his eyes and the class agreed, laughing but Percy and Annabeth were both quite, remembering his death. No one noticed.

**"It's our loot!" he yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"**

The class laughed again and Paul it took Paul four times before the class calmed down.

** Around the table, people were trying not to laugh-the Stoll brothers, Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, Katie Gardner from Demeter. Even Jake Mason, the hastily appointed new counselor from Hephaestus, managed a faint smile. Only Silena Beauregard didn't pay any attention. She sat beside Clarisse and stared vacantly at the Ping-Pong net. Her eyes were red and puffy. A cup of hot chocolate sat untouched in front of her.**

The class quieted down. _Poor Silena_.

** It seemed unfair that she had to be here. I couldn't believe Clarisse and Michael standing over her, arguing about something as stupid as loot, when she'd just lost Beckendorf. **

"That's so true." Leila said. The whole class felt sorry for her save a few. She shouldn't have to go through this.

**"STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?" Clarisse glowered at me. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk." **

**"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said. **

**"The only reason I'm here is to support Silena!" Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin."**

"That's so sweet." Cara said softly.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

**Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse has refused to speak to any of us, until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days." **

"I wouldn't think that would be possible," Brett said.

"I didn't believe it either." Percy said, smirking. "I would have loved to be there for it."

**"It's been wonderful," Travis Stoll said wistfully. **

**"What issue?" I asked. **

**Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?" **

**Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters-" **

**"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and light when you need us, and not complain!" **

"She does have a point." Leila said softly. People turned to her confused but she didn't explain herself. Annabeth studied the mortal carefully. "She does but it really wasn't a good time to figure things out then." She said and Leila shrugged.

**"That would be nice," Connor Stoll muttered. **

**Clarisse gripped her knife. "Maybe I should ask Mr. D-" **

"Who's Mr. D?" Todd asked.

"He's our camp director." Annabeth told him.

"Man I hate him." Percy added. "Refuses to get anyone's name right. Calls me Peter Johnson." Thunder rumbled overhead and the demigods rolled their eyes."

"What does D stand for?" Marisa asked eyebrows scrunched together.

"You'll find out." Percy replied smirking. _Oh when they find out._

**"As you know," Chiron interrupted, his tone slightly angry now, "our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this."**

Their expressions were priceless. "Your camp director is _Dionysus?" _Marisa asked her mouth hanging open. "Your camp director is a _god?"_

"Yup." Percy said nonchalantly, popping the p.

"That's so cool!" Brett yelled a mixture of shock and excitement on his face.

"Not cool." Percy corrected. "It's punishment for him. He hates it there."

"What'd he do?" Cara asked as the class began to recover from their shock.

"Dated a wood nymph that was declared off limits by Zeus." Percy informed rumbled and this time everyone rolled their eyes. "Something like that. After the war Zeus cut his punishment in half and now he only has fifty years left at camp. Wohoo."

"He can't be that bad." Hailey said slowly, but as she looked at Percy and Annabeth she shook her head. "I guess he can."

**"I see," Clarisse said. "And the senior counselors? Are any of you going to side with me?" **

**Nobody was smiling now. None of them met Clarisse's eyes. **

**"Fine." Clarisse turned to Silena. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost . . . Anyway, I apologize. To you. Nobody else." **

"She's such a good friend." Cara said smiling.

"And it's weird." Added Brett. "You just don't get it." She said rolling her eyes. _Boys are idiots _she thought.

"Actually it was really weird." Percy said and Annabeth smacked him on the head.

_They are so cute together _Samantha mused.

**Silena didn't seem to register her words. **

**Clarisse threw her knife on the Ping-Pong table. "All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying." The counselors were all too stunned to say anything as Clarisse stormed out of the room. **

"She's serious?" Todd asked finally. Even though they knew they won the war, the room was still tense.

"Yeah." Percy said quietly as bad memories came rushing back.

"Did they fight though? I mean, eventually?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." Annabeth said smirking. The room groaned. She was enjoying knowing things no one else did.

**Finally Michael Yew said, "Good riddance." **

"Good riddance?" Brett said laughing. "Who says good riddance?" he was ignored.

**"Are you kidding?" Katie Gardner protested. "This is a disaster!" **

**"She can't be serious," Travis said. "Can she?" Chiron sighed. "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down eventually." But he didn't sound convinced. **

**I wanted to ask what the heck Clarisse was so mad about, but I looked at Annabeth and she mouthed the words I'll tell you later. **

"I want to know now." Someone said and the class nodded, wondering what could be so important that Clarisse would risk the end of the world for.

**"Now," Chiron continued, "if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy-the Great Prophecy." **

**Annabeth handed me the parchment. It felt dry and old, and my fingers fumbled with the string. I uncurled the paper, trying not to rip it, and began to read:**

**"A half-blood of the eldest dogs . . ." **

"Er Mr. Blofis?" Hailey said raising her voice to be heard over the laughter. "I think you read that wrong."

"No." Paul said looking over at a blushing Percy. "It says dogs." The laughter got louder.

"I'm dyslexic!" Percy yelled trying to defend himself but to no avail.

"No, you're just a Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said giving him a quick kiss.

"Okay class, settle down." Paul said, but it took about five minutes for the class to quiet down.

**"Er, Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs." **

**"Oh, right," I said. Being dyslexic is one mark of a demigod, but sometimes I really hate it. The more nervous I am, the worse my reading gets. "A half~blood of the eldest gods . . . shall reach sixteen against all odds . . ." **

**I hesitated, staring at the next lines. A cold feeling started m my fingers as if the paper was freezing. **

**"And see the world in endless sleep, **

**The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap." **

Percy was aware that everyone was looking at him. Paul was pale. _How was he not dead? _They seemed to be thinking that a lot.

One of his classmates closest to him turned around and poked him gently in the arm. "Yeah, guys, I'm still alive." Percy said smirking.

"But h-how?" Cara asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Percy said. Annabeth was quite. Percy hadn't died but someone else had. Percy put his arm around her, sensing his girlfriend's sadness. A couple people looked at them confused. _Percy was alive, wasn't he? _Percy just gestured for Paul to read, his arm still around Annabeth's shoulder. It took Paul a couple of tries to start reading again, reassuring himself that his step-son was still alive.

**Suddenly Riptide seemed heavier in my pocket. A cursed blade? **

**Chiron once told me Riptide had brought many people sorrow. Was it possible my own sword could get me killed? And how could the world fall into endless sleep, unless that meant death? **

**"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest."**

"I thought that was the rest." A girl squeaked.

** My mouth felt like it was full of sand, but I spoke the last two lines. **

**"A single choice shall. . . shall end his days. Olympus to per- pursue-" **

**"Preserve," Annabeth said gently. "It means to save. " **

**"I know what it means," I grumbled. "Olympus to preserve or raze." **

"Are you sure you're not dead?" Brett asked, sending a questioning look to Percy.

**"Yeah." Percy replied slowly, giving him a weird look. Annabeth was really regretting coming now.**

**The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?" **

Marisa butted in. "Not ra-" Paul cut her off by starting to read again.

**"Not raise, "Silena said. Her voice was hollow, but I was startled to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means destroy. " **

**"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble." **

"Thanks Annabeth." Percy grumbled. "That was really helpful."

"You're welcome." Annabeth replied smirking.

**"Got it." My heart felt like lead. "Thanks." Everybody was looking at me-with concern, or pity, or maybe a little fear. **

**Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. In horse form, his head almost brushed the lights in the rec room. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders-" **

**"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" I said. "Yeah, I get it." **

**Chiron gazed at me sadly. The guy was three thousand years old. He'd seen hundreds of heroes die. He might not like it, but he was used to it. He probably knew better than to try to reassure me.**

"That's sad." Leila said. She hadn't spoken in a while.

"Yeah it is." Annabeth agreed sadly.

**"Percy," Annabeth said. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die." **

**"Sure," I said. "A single choice shall end his days. That has tons of meanings, right?" **

"Well apparently it does, considering you're sitting right here, very much alive." Todd said and Annabeth stuck her tongue out at Percy.

**"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offered. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. Maybe we could find this cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos's scythe, right?" **

"You can't just stop a prophecy." Marisa put it.

"Yeah but it's nice to know they care." Percy said and Marisa shrugged, not caring. She was really annoying.

I hadn't thought about that, but it didn't matter if the cursed blade was Riptide or Kronos's scythe. Either way, I doubted we could stop the prophecy. A blade was supposed to reap my soul. As a general rule, I preferred not to have my soul reaped.

Annabeth laughed along with everyone else. "That's good to know Percy." She told him.

**"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines," Chiron said. "He needs time-" **

**"No." I folded up the prophecy and shoved it into my pocket. I felt defiant and angry, though I wasn't sure who I was angry with. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?" **

"Wow." Leila said softly. That was brave, in its own little way.

**Annabeth's hands were shaking a little. She wouldn't meet my eyes. **

**"Let's move on," I said. "We've got other problems. We've got a spy." **

**Michael Yew scowled. "A spy?" **

**I told them what had happened on the Princess Andromeda-how Kronos had known we were coming, how he'd shown me the silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp. Silena started to cry again, and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders.**

The demigods both looked down. At the time they had just thought she was sad about Beckendorf's death. They hadn't known there had been more. No one noticed.

**"Well," Connor Stoll said uncomfortably, "we've suspected there might a spy for years, right? Somebody kept passing information to Luke-like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well." Maybe subconsciously, he glanced at Annabeth. She'd known Luke better than anyone, of course, but Connor looked away quickly. **

"I would never." Annabeth spat and Percy put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Um, I mean, it could be anybody."

**"Yes." Katie Gardner frowned at the Stoll brothers. She'd disliked them ever since they'd decorated the grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies. **

"That's hilarious!" Brett laughed along with the rest of the boys.

"It was." Percy said laughing too, but stopped when Annabeth slapped him on the head.

**"Like one of Luke's siblings." **

**Travis and Connor both started arguing with her. **

The whole class was starting to wonder who the spy was, especially Marisa.

**"Stop!" Silena banged the table so hard her hot chocolate spilled. "Charlie's dead and . . . and you're all arguing like little kids!" She put her head down and began to sob. **

**Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everybody looked ashamed. **

"You should be." Leila said.

"You know you're talking to a book right/" Brett asked leaning towards her.

"Shut it." She snapped, blushing a little.

**"She's right," Pollux said at last. "Accusing each other doesn't help. We need to keep our eyes open for a silver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too." Michael Yew grunted. "We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the Princess Andromeda won't stop Kronos forever." **

"Defiantly not." Marisa said, in a know-it-all voice. Percy glared and Marisa shrunk a way a little.

**"No indeed," Chiron said. "In fact his next assault is already on the way." **

**I scowled. "You mean the 'bigger threat' Poseidon mentioned?" He and Annabeth looked at each other like, It's time. Did I mention I hate it when they do that? **

"Yes!" Most of the class yelled and Annabeth blushed.

**"Percy," Chiron said, "we didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your . . . mortal friends." Annabeth blushed. It dawned on me that she knew I'd been hanging out with Rachel, and I felt guilty. Then I felt angry that I felt guilty. I was allowed to have friends outside camp, right? It wasn't like . . . **

"Awww." Samantha cooed and Percy and Annabeth both rolled their eyes, although they were blushing.

"Tell me what's happened," I said.

**Chiron picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate where we usually melted nacho cheese. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights. Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat." **

**The mist shimmered. I saw the familiar image of a smoldering volcano-Mount St. Helens. As I watched, the side of the mountain exploded. Fire, ash, and lava rolled out. A newscaster's voice was saying " - even larger than last year's eruption, and geologists warn that the mountain may not be done."**

Everyone was too horrified to comment how awesome that was.

**I knew all about last year's eruption. I'd caused it. **

"You caused the first eruption?" Carlos asked, baffled.

"Maybe…" Percy said, shifting uncomfortably under the stares of his classmates. _How powerful was he really?_

**But this explosion was much worse. The mountain tore itself apart, collapsing inward, and an enormous form rose out of the smoke and lava like it was emerging from a manhole. I hoped the Mist would keep the humans from seeing it clearly, because what I saw would've caused panic and riots across the entire United States. The giant was bigger than anything I'd ever encountered. Even my demigod eyes couldn't make out its exact form through the ash and fire, but it was vaguely humanoid and so huge it could've used the Chrysler Building as a baseball bat. The mountain shook with a horrible rumbling, as if the monster were laughing. **

Everyone was horrified.

**"It's him," I said. "Typhon." **

"Typhon?" Marisa squeaked. No one else knew who Typhon was but knew better than to ask.

**I was seriously hoping Chiron would say something good, like No, that's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us! But no such luck.**

Annabeth groaned well the rest of the class laughed. "I am really starting to question your stat of mind." She said and Percy smiled his sarcastic, goofy, troublemaker smile. "You should." He told her and gave her a kiss, making some of the girls coo.

**Typhon the horrible monster of all, the biggest single threat the gods ever faced. He has been freed from** **under the mountain at last. But this scene is from two days ago. Here is what is happening today." **

**Chiron waved his hand and the image changed. I saw a bank of storm clouds rolling across the Midwest plains. Lightning flickered. Lines of tornadoes destroyed everything in their path-ripping up houses and trailers, tossing cars around like Matchbox toys.**

"I'm happy we don't live around there."

**"Monumental floods," an announcer was saying. "Five states declared disaster areas as the freak storm system sweeps east, continuing its path of destruction." The cameras zoomed in on a column of storm bearing down on some Midwest city. I couldn't tell which one. Inside the storm I could see the giant-just small glimpses of his true form: a smoky arm, a dark clawed hand the size of a city block. His angry roar rolled across the plains like a nuclear blast. Other smaller forms darted through the clouds, circling the monster. I saw flashes of light, and I realized the giant was trying to swat them. I squinted and thought I saw a golden chariot flying into the blackness. Then some kind of huge bird-a monstrous owl-dived in to attack the giant. **

"Athena." Annabeth said proudly and everyone but Marisa was confused.

**"Are those . . . the gods?" I said. **

**"Yes, Percy," Chiron said. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhon is marching forward-toward New York. Toward Olympus." **

"Where is Olympus?" Marisa asked and everyone else save the demigods, nodded their head at the question. It had been something everyone had been wondering ever since the Mist disappeared.

Annabeth just smirked and spoke the dreaded answer. "You'll see."

**I let that sink in. "How long until he gets here?" **

**"Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there . . . except your father, who has a war of his own to fight." **

**"But then who's guarding Olympus?" **

"If Typhon gets there it won't matter." Marisa said solemly.

**Connor Stoll shook his head. "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."**

A couple of people snickered.

**I thought about Kronos's words on the ship: I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus. Was this what he was talking about: an attack by Typhon? It was sure terrifying enough. But Kronos was always fooling us, misdirecting our attention. This seemed too obvious for him. And in my dream, the golden Titan had talked about several more challenges to come, as if Typhon were only the first. **

Marisa sighed frustrated. It was all too confusing.

**"It's a trick," I said. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen." **

"Something worse than Typhon?" No one answered or acknowledged the question.

**Chiron looked at me gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not."**

No one bothered to comment on the repeat.

**"We have to defend Olympus," I insisted. "Kronos has another attack planned." **

**"He did," Travis Stoll reminded me. "But you sunk his ship." Everyone was looking at me. They wanted some good news. They wanted to believe that at least I'd given them a little bit of hope. I glanced at Annabeth. I could tell we were thinking the same thing: What if the Princess Andromeda was a ploy? What if Kronos let us blow up that ship so we'd lower our guard? **

"Then Beckendorf would have died for nothing." Leila whispered quietly.

**But I wasn't going to say that in front of Silena. Her boyfriend had sacrificed himself for that mission. **

**"Maybe you're right," I said, though I didn't believe it. I tried to imagine how things could get much worse. The gods were in the Midwest fighting a huge monster that had almost defeated them once before. Poseidon was under siege and losing a war against the sea Titan Oceanus. Kronos was still out there somewhere. Olympus was virtually undefended. The demigods of Camp HalfBlood were on our own with a spy in our midst. Oh, and according to the ancient prophecy, I was going to die when I turned sixteen-which happened to be in five days, the exact same time Typhon was supposed to hit New York. Almost forgot that. **

**"Well," Chiron said, "I think that's enough for one night." He waved his hand and the steam dissipated. The stormy battle of Typhon and the gods disappeared. **

**"That's an understatement," I muttered. **

**And the war council adjourned. **

"And that's the end of the chapter."

** Pleas no flames. Constuctive Critisisam welcome. Don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Don't Forget to REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So guys I'm really behind on the next chapter so I wrote this break chapter. It's short! Read the A/N at the bottom it's important!**

Despite it being cold outside, it was warm and sunny inside Camp Half-Blood. I was lying near the lake with Annabeth's head in my lap enjoying the sun and peace. Well I fiddled with Annabeth's hair; Annabeth read some book on Ancient Greek Architecture. I hadn't been to camp in a while and it was good to be back, I had missed so much like the feel of Riptide in my hand, fighting opponents, the woods and lake, the campfire and Capture the Flag. We had more campers than ever. The gods kept their promise and kids were getting claimed every day. Annabeth and the other Athena kids were still putting some finishing touches on the newer cabins, but other than that, they were pretty much done.

No mortal had found out about Camp Half-Blood yet because as soon as they got close enough to actually see the camp, they were met by a huge fire-breathing dragon. The disappearance of the Mist was a huge problem though. Campers that usually only stayed for the summer had become year round campers because monsters were attacking more than usual. It was harder for satyrs to keep their cover. Life for demigods was just harder in general now. We had relied on the Mist a lot and now it was gone.

My thoughts began to wonder as I lied there and I soon became antsy. "Come on." I said pushing Annabeth off me, then offering her my hand to help her up. "Let's go spar."

"Sure, Seaweed Brain." She said, rolling her eyes at me and dusting herself off. "Let me just go drop of my book first." I waited not so patiently for her outside the Athena cabin. It felt like she was in there for ten minutes. "You took foreevveer." I complained, stretching out forever, as she stepped out of her cabin.

"I was in there for a minute. And I'm much faster than you." She challenged and without saying anything, we took off toward the Amphitheater. Annabeth won. "Haha, I'm faster than you." She taunted.

"Oh just you wait. I'll beat you in sword fighting." There wasn't anyone else there, so we had the whole place to ourselves. That was a good thing considering we moved around a lot when we sparred. As I pulled out Riptide she pulled out her dagger and we began fighting. We cut and slashed, but I couldn't get a good hit in. Annabeth got a couple of good cuts to my arm but because of my Curse of Achilles it didn't do anything. We began to move through the camp, the newer campers looking at us with admiration, well the older campers laughed and cheered on either me or Annabeth.

We eventually arrived at the lake again and a crowd gathered, cheering us on. I used the disarming technique and Annabeth's dagger clattered to the ground. I smirked at her and placed Riptide at her throat. "I win."

"Oh, really." She asked raising an eyebrow a glint in her eye. Faster than I could process she ducked down, grabbed her dagger and pointed it at my heart. "I think I do."

**Do you want Heroes of Olympus to happen? I will still have guests come in, just no Percy. I'm leaning towards no, but I want to know what you guys think. Also a lot of you are asking for gods. I'm totally with you, but it's really hard to fit them in so if you have any ideas let me know. See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**More than 100 REVIEWS! IN 5 CHAPTERS! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET SO MANY! **

**THANKYOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! **

**Anyway about Heroes of Olympus it's pretty much a tie right now. I'm still not sure what direction I will go in. Keep reviewing. So on with the story. Constructive criticism welcome. Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riorden.**

**Disclamer-me own nothing. **

I was walking to my car to get to school when I saw two boys leaning against it. I had been fully prepared to make it to school on time but as soon as I realized who the boys were I knew that plan was crushed. They looked like twins with the same brown curly hair, up-turned noses and mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers instantly pegged as trouble makers. The only difference was that one was slightly taller than the other. Unfortunately, I happened to know them. Travis and Connor Stoll, head counselors of the Hermes cabin, pranksters of Camp Half-Blood.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked with a groan as I had a sinking suspicion why they were here.

"We heard about the book!" Travis cried.

"And we just couldn't miss this opportunity." Connor finished.

"Why aren't you at camp?"

"Please." Travis responded. "We can't stay their all the time. It gets boring!"

"Fine." I muttered and got into the driver's seat, while the Stoll brothers got in the back. The ride there was torture.

Of course I was late. As I walked in Paul didn't even blink an eye at my companions. "Who are you're friends?" he asked.

"Travis,"

"And Connor,"

"Stoll! Sons of Hermes!" they yelled. I groaned again and walked quickly to the back with the Stolls trailing behind me.

"Watch your stuff at all times, they will steal it." I informed them and Connor tossed a girl a cell-phone, shrugging his shoulders. Everyone inched away a little.

"Let's begin." Paul said and began to read.

**WE BURN A METAL SHROUD**

**I dreamed Rachel Elizabeth Dare was throwing darts at my picture.**

Everyone was snickering and laughing, all though some were confused. _Didn't Rachel like Percy?_ _Girls. _The boys thought.

"Jeez Percy, girls really do hate you." Connor said, smirking.

"Shut up." Percy said.

**She was standing in her room . . . Okay, back up. I have to explain that Rachel doesn't have a room. She has the top floor of her family's mansion, which is a renovated brownstone in Brooklyn. Her "room" is a huge loft with industrial lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's about twice as big as my mom's apartment.**

"That is so cool!" everyone yelled. They all wished that that was their room.

"I still think her cave is better." Travis put in, earning weird looks. Travis and Percy however, nodded. "Defiantly." Percy said.

"Her cave?" Todd finally asked.

"It will all be revealed soon." Travis said in a serious, dramatic voice, Connor and Percy nodded gravely behind him. The brothers were enjoying this. Paul chuckled lightly at the demigods antics and continued reading, although he too, was curious.

**Some alt rock was blaring from her paint-covered Bose docking system. As far as I could tell, Rachel's only rule about music was that no two songs on her iPod could sound the same, and they all had to be strange.**

"That's a strange rule." Cara said slowly.

"That's Rachel." Travis said.

"I like her style." Connor added.

**She wore a kimono, and her hair was frizzy, like she'd been sleeping. Her bed was messed up. Sheets hung over a bunch of artist's easels. Dirty clothes and old energy bar wrappers were strewn around the floor, but when you've got a room that big, the mess doesn't look so bad.**

"Lucky." Percy muttered. "My cabin's a mess."

"Very messy." Connor said.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Your cabin is a lot messier then mine." He retorted.

"Is not!" The Stoll brothers shouted at the same time.

"Whatever."

** Out the windows you could see the entire nighttime skyline of Manhattan.**

"What a pretty view." Leila said wistfully. Everyone agreed.

**The picture she was attacking was a painting of me standing over the giant Antaeus. Rachel had painted it a couple of months ago. My expression in the picture was fierce-disturbing, even-so it was hard to tell if I was the good guy or the bad guy, but Rachel said I'd looked just like that after the battle.**

Most of his classmates turned to look at him questionably. They found it hard to believe, but Travis and Connor were nodding their heads. "Yup." They said.

"Really?" Percy asked, groaning a little.

They nodded again. "It's pretty disturbing."

"Wait." Marisa said suddenly. "You've fought Antaeus?" she asked, slight disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah." Percy replied and refused to say anything else on the subject.

**"Demigods," Rachel muttered as she threw another dart at the canvas. "And their stupid quests."**

"How dare her." Travis said, in mock offence.

"She has offended us brother." Connor said in the same voice.

"Ignore them." Percy said, gesturing to them.

"Hey!"

**Most of the darts bounced off, but a few stuck. One hung off my chin like a goatee.**

The class laughed at the mental image.

"I can totally picture you," Travis began

"With a goatee!" Connor finished.

**Someone pounded on her bedroom door.**

**"Rachel!" a man shouted. "What in the world are you doing? Turn off that-"**

**Rachel scooped up her remote control and shut off the music. "Come in!"**

**Her dad walked in, scowling and blinking from the light. He had rust-colored hair a little darker than Rachel's. It was smushed on one side like he'd lost a fight with his pillow.**

Everyone laughed.

**His blue silk pajamas had "WD" monogrammed on the pocket. Seriously, who has monogrammed pajamas?**

"Apparently does." Travis said seriously.

"You shouldn't judge people, Percy. It's rude." Connor added. Percy ignored them.

**"What is going on?" he demanded. "It's three in the morning."**

**"Couldn't sleep," Rachel said.**

**On the painting, a dart fell off my face. Rachel hid the rest behind her back, but Mr. Dare noticed.**

**"So . . . I take it your friend isn't coming to St. Thomas?" That's what Mr. Dare called me. Never Percy. Just your friend. Or young man if he was talking to me, which he rarely did.**

"Percy." Connor said, placing a hand on said boy's shoulder. "You will never ever be a young man."

"It is impossible." Travis added. A couple people snorted and Percy rolled his eyes, although they had a point, in some weird way.

**Rachel knit her eyebrows. "I don't know."**

**"We leave in the morning," her dad said. "If he hasn't made up his mind yet-"**

**"He's probably not coming," Rachel said miserably. "Happy?"**

"Aww, come on Percy." Travis said, putting on a puppy dog face.

"You made Rachel sad." Connor finished. Percy glared half-heartedly at them. He still felt guilty about that.

**Mr. Dare put his hands behind his back. He paced the room with a stern expression. I imagined he did that in the boardroom of his land development company and made his employees nervous.**

**"Are you still having bad dreams?" he asked. "Headaches?"**

"It sounds like he's interrogating her." Cara said.

**Rachel threw her darts on the floor. "I should never have told you about that."**

**"I'm your father," he said. "I'm worried about you."**

"Yeah right." Percy snorted. More like he wanted to present a perfect family to the public.

**"Worried about the family's reputation," Rachel muttered.**

Percy smirked slightly.

**Her father didn't react-maybe because he'd heard that comment before, or maybe because it was true.**

"Probably both." Todd said.

**"We could call Dr. Arkwright," he suggested. "He helped you get through the death of your hamster."**

"Ummm." Travis said slowly. No one really knew what to say to that.

**"I was six then," she said. "And no, Dad, I don't need a therapist. I just . . ." She shook her head helplessly.**

"Well if you talked to a demigod therapist…" Connor trailed off. Marisa was confused, thinking hard.

**Her father stopped in front of the windows. He gazed at the New York skyline as if he owned it-which wasn't true. He only owned part of it.**

"No way!" Travis yelled.

"Rachel's been holding out on us!" his brother also yelled.

Everyone else was in shock. For some reason no one until now had put together that Rachel's dad was _that _Mr. Dare.

**"It will be good for you to get away," he decided. "You've had some unhealthy influences."**

"Percy." Travis scolded.

"Tsk, tsk." Connor said shaking his head in mock disappointment.

**"I'm not going to Clarion Ladies Academy," Rachel said.**

"I'll take your spot!" Samantha cried. She wanted to go there so badly.

** "And my friends are none of your business."**

**Mr. Dare smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was more like, Someday you'll realize how silly you sound.**

**"Try to get some sleep," he urged. "We'll be at the beach by tomorrow night. It will be fun."**

"Whenever adults say that it's never fun." Brett complained. The kids all agreed, with Paul looking at them with slight confusion and Percy wondering how the beach could not be fun.

"Fun," Rachel repeated. "Lots of fun."

"That's the spirit!" Connor cheered.

**Her father exited the room. He left the door open behind him.**

**Rachel stared at the portrait of me. Then she walked to the easel next to it, which was covered in a sheet.**

"Dun, dun, dun, dun." The sons of Hermes said dramatically.

**"I hope they're dreams," she said.**

**She uncovered the easel. On it was a hastily sketched charcoal, but Rachel was a good artist. The picture was definitely Luke as a young boy. **

"Stalker." Connor coughed.

**He was about nine years old, with a wide grin and no scar on his face.**

"How did she know what he looked like?" Marisa asked and everyone shrugged thinking the same thing.

"I told you she's a stalker!" Connor shouted and the boys laughed acting like idiots. They were all loving have the Stoll brothers around, especially Brett.

** I had no idea how Rachel could've known what he looked like back then, but the portrait was so good I had a feeling she wasn't guessing. From what I knew about Luke's life (which wasn't much), the picture showed him just before he'd found out he was a half-blood and had run away from home.**

"That's sad." Leila commented softly.

**Rachel stared at the portrait. Then she uncovered the next easel. This picture was even more disturbing. It showed the Empire State Building with lightning all around it. In the distance a dark storm was brewing, with a huge hand coming out of the clouds. At the base of the building a crowd had gathered . . . but it wasn't a normal crowd of tourists and pedestrians. I saw spears, javelins, and banners-the trappings of an army.**

"The big battle?" Marisa asked questionably.

"No shit Sherlock." **(A/N sorry about the slight langue if some of you don't like it.) **Connor said sourly. All three demigods were remembering the deaths and even the Stoll brothers weren't in the mood. Percy's classmates were wondering why the Empire State Building and about the hand.

**"Percy," Rachel muttered, as if she knew I was listening,**

"That would be creepy." Brett muttered.

**"what is going on?"**

"I don't think Percy knows either." Travis said, causing Percy to roll his eyes.

**The dream faded, and the last thing I remember was wishing I could answer her question.**

"You knew the answer?" Marisa asked shocked as were most of the kids in the class.

"Not then." Percy said shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

**The next morning, I wanted to call her, but there were no phones at camp. **

"No cell-phones?!" Samantha cried, looking absolutely horrified. "How do you survive?!"

Percy rolled his eyes, while Travis and Connor were laughing at her expression. "We just IM each other if we need to talk and there's a reason we can't use cell-phones." He replied.

"You instant message each other?" Samantha asked confused.

"No!' Travis cried. "We have something much cooler-" but before he could continue Percy cut him off, shaking his head in a they'll find out later way, leaving the class even more confused.

**Dionysus and Chiron didn't need a landline. They just called Olympus with an Iris-message **

_Iris-message? What the hades was that?_

**whenever they needed something. And when demigods use cell phones, the signals agitate every monster within a hundred miles. It's like sending up a flare: Here I am! Please rearrange my face!**

"That would be bad." Brett said

"Yup." Added Connor. "I like my face the way it is, thankyou."

** Even within the safe borders of camp, that's not the kind of advertising we wanted to do.**

**Most demigods (except for Annabeth and a few others) don't even own cell phones. And I definitely couldn't tell Annabeth, "Hey, let me borrow your phone so I can call Rachel!"**

"That would be a horrible idea." Samantha said unnecessarily.

** To make the call, I would've had to leave camp and walk several miles to the nearest convenience store. Even if Chiron let me go, by the time I got there, Rachel would've been on the plane to St. Thomas.**

**I ate a depressing breakfast by myself at the Poseidon table.**

"Even at your little camp you eat alone." Jared sneered. Everyone glared at him especially Connor and Travis.

Percy calmly replied his eyes though, were hard. "We have to eat with our cabin. You get sorted into a cabin by who your godly parent is and since I have no siblings, I sit by myself." Paul's eyes were flitting between the two and before anything could happen started to read again a little louder than necessary.

** I kept staring at the fissure in the marble floor where two years ago Nico had banished a bunch of blood thirsty skeletons to the Underworld.**

"That is so cool!" The boys yelled, while some of the girls seemed a little pale.

"That's what happened?" Connor asked. "Cool!" the brothers yelled together.

Percy nodded. "It was right before he ran away. When I told him Bianca died on the quest." The mood fell considerably.

"Harsh." Connor said. "I wouldn't have wanted to be the one to tell him."

"Yeah." Percy agreed. "He didn't exactly take it well." The class was confused but figured it was best not to ask questions.

** The memory didn't exactly improve my appetite.**

**After breakfast, Annabeth and I walked down to inspect the cabins. Actually, it was Annabeth's turn for inspection. My morning chore was to sort through reports for Chiron. But since we both hated our jobs, we decided to do them together so it wouldn't be so heinous.**

"Umhm." Samantha said smiling knowingly. Percy blushing lightly, rolled his eyes and ignored her.

**We started at the Poseidon cabin, which was basically just me. I'd made my bunk bed that morning (well, sort of) and straightened the Minotaur horn on the wall,**  
"Minotaur horn?" Carlos asked curiously, but Percy just shook his head and sent a look to the Stolls, daring them to say something. They didn't.

** so I gave myself a four out of five.**

**Annabeth made a face. "You're being generous." She used the end of her pencil to pick up an old pair of running shorts.**

"Ew." Some of the girls said wrinkling their noses.

**I snatched them away. "Hey, give me a break. I don't have Tyson cleaning up after me this summer."**

**"Three out of five," Annabeth said. I knew better than to argue, so we moved along.**

**I tried to skim through Chiron's stack of reports as we walked. There were messages from demigods, nature spirits, and satyrs all around the country, writing about the latest monster activity. They were pretty depressing, and my ADHD brain did not like concentrating on depressing stuff.**

"True that." Travis agreed and Connor and Percy nodded knowingly.

"I don't think anyone does." Leila muttered.

**Little battles were raging everywhere. Camp recruitment was down to zero. Satyrs were having trouble finding new demigods and bringing them to Half-Blood Hill because so many monsters were roaming the country. Our friend Thalia, who led the Hunters of Artemis, hadn't been heard from in months, and if Artemis knew what had happened to them, she wasn't sharing information.**

"Who are the Hunters of Artemis?" Cara asked curiously.

"There an immortal band of girls who travel around the world fighting monsters with Artemis." Percy replied.

"Cool." Cara said. A couple girls perked up and seemed interested.

Percy smirked at them. "They have to swear off men forever and become a maiden like Artemis." He told them.

"Never mind." Cara muttered and the girls who seemed interested before looked dejected.

"Such a shame." Connor began.

"They are seriously smoking." Travis finished, earning hoots from the boys and glares from the girls.

**We visited the Aphrodite cabin, which of course got a five out of five. The beds were perfectly made. The clothes in everyone's footlockers were color coordinated. Fresh flowers bloomed on the windowsills. I wanted to dock a point because the whole place reeked of designer perfume, but Annabeth ignored me.**

"Boys." Hailey muttered, although she agreed.

**"Great job as usual, Silena," Annabeth said.**

**Silena nodded listlessly. The wall behind her bed was decorated with pictures of Beckendorf. She sat on her bunk with a box of chocolates on her lap, and I remembered that her dad owned a chocolate store in the Village, which was how he'd caught the attention of Aphrodite.**

**"You want a bonbon?" Silena asked. "My dad sent them. He thought-he thought they might cheer me up."**

"Poor Silena." Leila said softly.

**"Are they any good?" I asked.**

**She shook her head. "They taste like cardboard."**

"Cardboard's my favorite flavor." Travis said seriously.

**I didn't have anything against cardboard, so I tried one.**

Kids rolled their eyes and laughed a little.

**Annabeth passed.**

"What!?" Connor and Travis yelled in mock horror. "How could you turn down cardboard flavored chocolates?!"

** We promised to see Silena later and kept going.**

**As we crossed the commons area, a fight broke out between the Ares and Apollo cabins. Some Apollo campers armed with firebombs flew over the Ares cabin in a chariot pulled by two pegasi. I'd never seen the chariot before, but it looked like a pretty sweet ride. Soon, the roof of the Ares cabin was burning, and naiads from the canoe lake rushed over to blow water on it.**

"Does that happen often?" Andrew asked.

"Not to that extreme." Percy replied, shrugging his shoulders.

**Then the Ares campers called down a curse, and all the Apollo kids' arrows turned to rubber.**

"Sweet!" A couple of kids yelled, including the Stolls.

**The Apollo kids kept shooting at the Ares kids, but the arrows bounced off.**

**Two archers ran by, chased by an angry Ares kid who was yelling in poetry: "Curse me, eh? I'll make you pay! / I don't want to rhyme all day!"**

Everyone burst into laughter. "That was hilarious!" Travis said holding his sides. His brother and Percy nodded, also laughing.

"Settle down, class." Paul said although he too, was chuckling.

**Annabeth sighed. "Not that again. Last time Apollo cursed a cabin, it took a week for the rhyming couplets to wear off."**

That set off another round of laughter.

**I shuddered. Apollo was god of poetry as well as archery, and I'd heard him recite in person. I'd almost rather yet shot by an arrow.**

"So Apollo, the god of poetry, is bad at poetry?" Marisa asked slowly, baffled. Thunder rumbled and she winced.

"Pretty much." Percy replied quietly.

**"What are they fighting about anyway?" I asked.**

**Annabeth ignored me while she scribbled on her inspection scroll, giving both cabins a one out of five.**

**I found myself staring at her, which was stupid since I'd seen her a billion times. She and I were about the same height this summer, which was a relief. Still, she seemed so much more mature. It was kind of intimidating. I mean, sure, she'd always been cute, but she was starting to be seriously beautiful.**

"Ohhh." The girls cooed and Samantha waggled her eyebrows. The Stoll brothers gave each other mischievous looks. Percy was blushing deep red. Did he mention he hated people hearing his thoughts?"

**Finally she said, "That flying chariot."**

**"What?"**

A couple people rolled their eyes.

**"You asked what they were fighting about."**

**"Oh. Oh, right."**

**"They captured it in a raid in Philadelphia last week. Some of Luke's demigods were there with that flying chariot. The Apollo cabin seized it during the battle, but the Ares cabin led the raid. So they've been fighting about who gets it ever since."**

**We ducked as Michael Yew's chariot dive-bombed an Ares camper. The Ares camper tried to stab him and cuss him out in rhyming couplets. He was pretty creative about rhyming those cuss words.**

"How I would have loved to hear that." Connor said laughing with everyone else.

**"We're fighting for our lives," I said, "and they're bickering about some stupid chariot."**

**"They'll get over it," Annabeth said. "Clarisse will come to her senses."**

"Maybe, maybe not." Surprisingly, it was Leila who said that.

**I wasn't so sure. That didn't sound like the Clarisse I knew.**

**I scanned more reports and we inspected a few more cabins. Demeter got a four. Hephaestus got a three and probably should've gotten lower, but with Beckendorf being gone and all, we cut them some slack. Hermes got a two, which was no surprise. **

"Hey!" the Stoll brothers cried.

**All campers who didn't know their godly parentage were shoved into the Hermes cabin, and since the gods were kind of forgetful, that cabin was always overcrowded.**

"Gods, that was annoying." Travis complained.

"Yeah, good thing it's not a problem anymore." Connor added.

"You're welcome." Percy said smirking at the senior counselors of the Hermes cabin. They stuck their tongues at him.

"Huh?" the class was looking at them in confusion.

"Forget we said anything." Percy said hurriedly, glaring at Travis and Connor.

**Finally we got to Athena's cabin, which was orderly and clean as usual. Books were straightened on the shelves. The armor was polished. Battle maps and blueprints decorated the walls.**

"Cool cabin." Marisa said dreamily. Of course she would like the Athena cabin.

** Only Annabeth's bunk was messy. It was covered in papers, and her silver laptop was still running.**

**"Vlacas," Annabeth muttered, which was basically calling herself an idiot in Greek.**

**Her second-in-command, Malcolm, suppressed a smile. "Yeah, um . . . we cleaned everything else. Didn't know if it was safe to move your notes."**

"Smart move." Travis said wisely.

**That was probably smart. Annabeth had a bronze knife that she reserved just for monsters and people who messed with her stuff.**

"Yikes." A kid said.

"Yikes is right." Connor said. The daughter of Athena scared him.

**Malcolm grinned at me. "We'll wait outside while you finish inspection." The Athena campers filed out the door while Annabeth cleaned up her bunk.**

**I shuffled uneasily and pretended to go through some more reports. Technically, even on inspection, it was against camp rules for two campers to be . . . like, alone in a cabin.**

"Ooh." Samantha said, "You guys are alone." She gave Percy a smile, and then turned back in her seat.

Samantha squealed a little and Percy was blushing. "Bad Percy." Connor said. "Breaking the rules." Travis added. Paul smirked at his step-son and continued to read.

**That rule had come up a lot when Silena and Beckendorf started dating.**

Some of the girls giggled.

** And I know some of you might be thinking, Aren't all demigods related on the godly side, and doesn't that make dating gross? **

"I never thought of that." Cara said thoughtfully, and then turned to Percy with a raised eyebrow.

**But the thing is, the godly side of your family doesn't count, genetically speaking, since gods don't have DNA. A demigod would never think about dating someone who had the same godly parent. Like two kids from Athena cabin? No way. But a daughter of Aphrodite and a son of Hephaestus? They're not related. So it's no problem.**

"That makes sense." Marisa commented.

**Anyway, for some strange reason I was thinking about this as I watched Annabeth straighten up. She closed her laptop, which had been given to her as a gift from the inventor Daedalus last summer.**

"Daedalus?" Marisa perked up, eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah. He gave it to her after he died." Percy said slowly. "It's a long story." He added quickly, seeing her face.

"It's so unfair." Connor complained.

"Yeah." Travis put in. "We can't have laptops because monsters will come and 'rearrange our face' as Percy puts it."

"So how come Annabeth can have a laptop?" Marisa asked.

"Um it's hard to explain." Percy said rubbing the back of his neck. "But it doesn't send up flares for monsters to detect like regular electronics." He told her. "And Annabeth lets me use it sometimes, so in your face Stolls!" Percy yelled rubbing it in their face.

"No faaiirr." The Stolls whined. Paul continued reading, well wondering how demigods could live without Google.

**I cleared my throat. "So . . . get any good info from that thing?"**

**"Too much," she said. "Daedalus had so many ideas, I could spend fifty years just trying to figure them all out."**

"She would love to do that." Percy grumbled and Travis and Connor nodded. "Sounds like Annabeth."

**"Yeah," I muttered. "That would be fun."**

**She shuffled her papers-mostly drawings of buildings and a bunch of handwritten notes. I knew she wanted to be an architect someday, but I'd learned the hard way not to ask what she was working on. She'd start talking about angles and load-bearing joints until my eyes glazed over.**

"I've made that mistake one to many times." Percy muttered.

**"You know . . ." She brushed her hair behind her ear, like she does when she's nervous. "This whole thing with Beckendorf and Silena. It kind of makes you think. About . . . what's important. About losing people who are important."**

Nobody really knew what to say to that. It got some people thinking.

"That was deep." Connor finally said.

**I nodded. My brain started seizing on little random details, like the fact that she was still wearing those silver owl earrings from her dad, who was this brainiac military history professor in San Francisco.**

**"Urn, yeah," I stammered. "Like . . . is everything cool with your family?"**

"Stupid question." Samantha said shaking her head, like she was disappointed with him.

**Okay, really stupid question, but hey, I was nervous.**

**Annabeth looked disappointed, but she nodded.**

**"My dad wanted to take me to Greece this summer," she said wistfully. "I've always wanted to see-"**

**"The Parthenon," I remembered.**

"Ohhh!" Samantha said excitedly. "You're already starting to finish each other's sentences." Percy blushed and ignored her.

**She managed a smile. "Yeah."**

**"That's okay. There'll be other summers, right?"**

"Idiot." Leila said, shaking her head. "For all you guys know Titans could be ruling the world in a week's time!"

"I know, I know." Percy said. "I say stupid things. I get it."

**As soon as I said it, I realized it was a boneheaded comment. I was facing the end of my days. Within a week, Olympus might fall. If the Age of the Gods really did end, the world as we knew it would dissolve into chaos. Demigods would be hunted to extinction. There would be no more summers for us.**

"So dramatic." Travis said.

"It's true though." Percy said shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't be such a downer." Connor muttered .

**Annabeth stared at her inspection scroll. "Three out five," she muttered, "for a sloppy head counselor. Come on. Let's finish your reports and get back to Chiron."**

**On the way to the Big House, we read the last report, which was handwritten on a maple leaf from a satyr in Canada. If possible, the note made me feel even worse.**

**" 'Dear Grover,'" I read aloud. " 'Woods outside Toronto attacked by giant evil badger. Tried to do as you suggested and summon power of Pan. No effect. Many naiads' trees destroyed. Retreating to Ottawa. Please advise. Where are you? -Gleeson Hedge, protector.'"**

"Gleeson?" Travis asked laughing

**Annabeth grimaced. "You haven't heard anything from him? Even with your empathy link?"**

"What's an empathy link?" Someone asked.

"Um, again I can't really explain, but we can like send each other dreams and stuff." Percy said, but he sounded uncertain.

"Forget I asked." The kid said, shaking his head. He seemed even more confused.

**I shook my head dejectedly.**

**Ever since last summer when the god Pan had died,**

"Pan died?" Marisa asked her eyes wide. Everyone was shocked, except for the demigods of course.

"Yeah." Percy said carefully. "I was there." Marisa couldn't find anything to say so Paul continued to read.

** our friend Grover had been drifting farther and farther away. The Council of Cloven Elders treated him like an outcast, but Grover still traveled all over the East Coast, trying to spread the word about Pan and convince nature spirits to protect their own little bits of the wild. He'd only come back to camp a few times to see his girlfriend, Juniper.**

"Aww." Samantha said. "Is she a satyr, too?" **(A/N Can there be girl satyrs?) **she asked.

Percy shook his head. "She's a tree nymph." He told her. Samantha cooed again.

**Last I'd heard he was in Central Park organizing the dryads, but nobody had seen or heard from him in two months. We'd tried to send Iris-messages. They never got through. I had an empathy link with Grover, so I hoped I would know if anything bad happened to him. Grover had told me one time that if he died, the empathy link might kill me too. **

"I would hope not." Leila muttered.

**But I wasn't sure if that was still true or not.**

**I wondered if he was still in Manhattan. Then I thought about my dream of Rachel's sketch-dark clouds closing on the city, an army gathered around the Empire State Building.**

**"Annabeth." I stopped her by the tetherball court. I knew I was asking for trouble, but I didn't know who else to trust. Plus, I'd always depended on Annabeth for advice. "Listen, I had this dream about, um, Rachel . . ."**

"That's a horrible way to start out." Samantha said rolling her eyes and putting her hand in front of her to inspect her freshly painted nails

**I told her the whole thing, even the weird picture of Luke as a child.**

**For a while she didn't say anything. Then she rolled up her inspection scroll so tight she ripped it. "What do you want me to say?"**

**"I'm not sure. You're the best strategist I know. If you were Kronos planning this war, what would you do next?"**

**"I'd use Typhon as a distraction. Then I'd hit Olympus directly, while the gods were in the West."**

**"Just like in Rachel's picture."**

**"Percy," she said, her voice tight, "Rachel is just a mortal."**

"Annabeth." Connor scolded, like a kindergarten school teacher.

"Don't you know you should never underestimate people. Especially mortals who can see through the Mist and hit Titan lords in the eye with blue plastic hair brushes." Travis added.

"You know you're talking to a book right?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duh." Travis and Connor said. Everyone was staring at them weirdly until Paul started to read again.

**"But what if her dream is true? Those other Titans-they said Olympus would be destroyed in a matter of days. They said they had plenty of other challenges. And what's with that picture of Luke as a kid-"**

**"We'll just have to be ready."**

**"How?" I said. "Look at our camp. We can't even stop fighting each other. And I'm supposed to get my stupid soul reaped."**

"You shouldn't have brought that up." Cara said, shaking her head.

She threw down her scroll. "I knew we shouldn't have shown you the prophecy." Her voice was angry and hurt. "All it did was scare you. You run away from things when you're scared."

"Oohh." Connor and Travis said. "It's on."

**I stared at her, completely stunned. "Me? Run away?"**

**She got right in my face. "Yes, you. You're a coward, Percy Jackson!"**

**We were nose to nose. Her eyes were red, and I suddenly realized that when she called me a coward, maybe she wasn't talking about the prophecy.**

**"If you don't like our chances," she said, "maybe you should go on that vacation with Rachel."**

**"Annabeth-"**

**"If you don't like our company."**

**"That's not fair!"**

**She pushed past me and stormed toward the strawberry fields. She hit the tetherball as she passed and sent it spinning angrily around the pole.**

"Percy." Cara said slowly. "You're horrible with girls." She told him.

"I know." Percy grumbled.

**I'd like to say my day got better from there. Of course it didn't.**

"Percy," Connor said. "it wouldn't be you if your day got better."

**That afternoon we had an assembly at the campfire to burn Beckendorf's burial shroud and say our good-byes. Even the Ares and Apollo cabins called a temporary truce to attend.**

**Beckendorf's shroud was made out of metal links, like chain mail. **

"How is that going to burn?" Marisa asked, but nobody answered. As long as it burned that wasn't really important.

**I didn't see how it would burn, but the Fates must've been helping out. The metal melted in the fire and turned to golden smoke, which rose into the sky. The campfire flames always reflected the campers' moods,**

"That's sick!" Brett yelled.

** and today they burned black.**

"That's not so sick." He muttered. He wondered what it would look like when they were really happy.

**I hoped Beckendorf's spirit would end up in Elysium. Maybe he'd even choose to be reborn and try for Elysium in three different lifetimes so he could reach the Isles of the Blest, which was like the Underworld's ultimate party headquarters. If anyone deserved it, Beckendorf did.**

Everyone agreed and no one said otherwise.

**Annabeth left without a word to me. Most of the other campers drifted off to their afternoon activities. I just stood there staring at the dying fire. Silena sat nearby crying, while Clarisse and her boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez, tried to comfort her.**

**Finally I got up the nerve to walk over. "Hey, Silena, I'm really sorry."**

**She sniffled. Clarisse glared at me, but she always glares at everyone. Chris would barely look at me. He'd been one of Luke's men until Clarisse rescued him from the Labyrinth last summer, and I guess he still felt guilty about it.**

"At least he went over to the right side." Leila said and Connor and Travis nodded. He was a good brother.

**I cleared my throat. "Silena, you know Beckendorf carried your picture. He looked at it right before we went into battle. You meant a lot to him. You made the last year the best of his life."**

"That's just going to make her even more upset." Samantha said exasperated.

**Silena sobbed.**

"See." Samantha said

**"Good work, Percy," Clarisse muttered.**

**"No, it's all right," Silena said.**

"Ha!" Percy said to Samantha who rolled her eyes

** "Thank . . . thank you, Percy. I should go."**

**"You want company?" Clarisse asked.**

**Silena shook her head and ran off.**

**"She's stronger than she looks," Clarisse muttered, almost to herself.**

"True." Cara said in the same voice.

** "She'll survive."**

**"You could help with that," I suggested. "You could honor Beckendorf's memory by fighting with us."**

**Clarisse went for her knife, but it wasn't there anymore. She'd thrown it on the Ping-Pong table in the Big House.**

**"Not my problem," she growled. "My cabin doesn't get honor, I don't fight."**

**I noticed she wasn't speaking in rhymes. Maybe she hadn't been around when her cabinmates got cursed, or maybe she had a way of breaking the spell.**

"Aw." Travis said.

"It would be so funny to hear Clarisse speak in rhymes." Connor whined.

** With a chill, I wondered if Clarisse could be Kronos's spy at camp. **

"Nah." Travis said. "Not her style."

**Was that why she was keeping her cabin out of the fight? But as much as I disliked Clarisse, spying for the Titans didn't seem like her style.**

"See." Travis said. "Even Percy agrees with me."

"No one disagreed with you." Hailey pointed out and Travis hmphed.

**"All right," I told her. "I didn't want to bring this up, but you owe me one. You'd be rotting in a Cyclops's cave in the Sea of Monsters if it wasn't for me."**

Everyone, even the Stoll brothers looked at Percy with weird looks but decided it was better not to ask.

**She clenched her jaw. "Any other favor, Percy. Not this. The Ares cabin has been dissed too many times. And don't think I don't know what people say about me behind my back."**

**I wanted to say, Well, it's true. But I bit my tongue.**

"Percy? Biting his tongue?" Travis said in a mock horrified voice.

"The world is ending!" Connor cried. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I'm not that bad." Percy whined.

"You are." The brothers said, leaving the class wondering what they meant.

**"So, what-you're just going to let Kronos crush us?" I asked.**

**"If you want my help so bad, tell Apollo to give us the chariot."**

**"You're such a big baby."**

"Fight, fight, fight!" The sons of Hermes cheered and the boys joined in until Paul quieted them down and continued to read.

**She charged me, but Chris got between us. "Whoa, guys," he said. "Clarisse, you know, maybe he's got a point."**

"Aw. He ruined the fight!" (two guesses to who said that.)

**She sneered at him. "Not you too!" She trudged off with Chris at her heels.**

**"Hey, wait! I just meant-Clarisse, wait!"**

**I watched the last sparks from Beckendorf's fire curl into the afternoon sky. Then I headed toward the sword-fighting arena. I needed a break, and I wanted to see an old friend.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Paul said closing the book.

"Well we got a bounce." Connor said. "No need to stay at school any longer than necessary."

"You didn't have to come at all." Percy grumbled. Now the Stolls had blackmail on him and that was never a good thing. Just as they were about to disappear through the window, they seemed to remember something and turned around.

"You guys might want these." Travis said and they dumped a pile of stuff on Paul's desk that included wallets, cellphones and other random stuff. Everyone began checking their bags and pockets and outraged cries filled the room as they realized their stuff had been stolen. "Bye!" the culprits yelled and fled the scene.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my gods guys I am so sorry for the late update. I do have excuses. I have play rehearsal revert day dafter school for like two hours and am as very busy person. also I'm having writers block but hop hope that will go away when the story picks up a little. Here's the chapter!**  
Let's just say I had a little accident with my car and I missed my ride with Paul so I had to walk to school. I mean I was pretty fit (running away from monsters on a daily basis and years of sword fighting can do that to you) but man was it COLD out.) As I walked past Central Park I heard someone calling my name. Turning around I saw it was Grover, my best friend who also happened to be a satyr.  
"What's up G-man?" I asked giving him a man hug. I hadn't seen him since the war.  
"Oh you know keeping busy." He told me. "So what are you doing?"  
"Going to school." I told him with a groan.  
"That sucks. Glad I'm done with that. Anyway Annabeth told me you were reading a book about you in English.  
I groaned. Now Grover would here my thoughts. "Come on." A grumbled and Grover smirked and followed me to school.

"This is my best friend Grover." I told Paul as I walked into the classroom, late of course. "He's a satyr." Of course that caused mixed reactions. Seeing their faces, Grover kicked off his high-tops revealing his hooves. Jared was the first to recover. "Of course your best friend is a satyr. Probably couldn't do any better." He sneered. Percy glared and was about to retort back but Grover stopped him before anything ugly could happen.  
"No harming mortals." He hissed. He had put his fake shoe back on. Percy glared then stalked to his seat with Grover following. The class was staring, not saying a word, eyes wide at Grover.  
Paul, finally getting over his shock, started to read his voice a little shaky.

**Mrs. O'Leary saw me before I saw her, which was a pretty good trick considering she's the size of a garbage truck.**  
"That's an understatement." a kid muttered glancing at the hole in the wall that had been plastered over the weekend.  
**I walked into the arena, and a wall of darkness slammed into me.**  
"That's pleasant." Hailey muttered.  
**"WOOF!"**  
**The next thing I knew I was flat on the ground with a huge paw on my chest and an oversize Brillo-pad tongue licking my face.**  
A couple of girls wrinkled their noses. "Dog breath." One said, disgusted and everyone else rolled their eyes.  
**"Ow!" I said. "Hey, girl. Good to see you too. Ow!" It took a few minutes for Mrs. O'Leary to calm down.**  
**"and get off me. By then I was pretty much drenched in dog drool.**  
"Okay," Cara relented. "That is gross."  
**She wanted to play fetch,**  
"With what?" Brett asked. "A shield?" he said sarcastically.  
**so I picked up a bronze shield and tossed it across the arena.**  
Everyone snickered and Brett was probably the most shocked.  
**By the way, Mrs. O'Leary is the world's only friendly hellhound. I kind of inherited her when her previous owner died.**  
"Who was her previous owner!?" Marisa nearly screamed, extremely frustrated. He had never told them and she, along with everyone else, really wanted to know who would get a hellhound as a pet. Percy just shook his head mysteriously and motioned for Paul to read. Grover was smirking.  
**She lived at camp, but Beckendorf . . . well, Beckendorf used to take care of her whenever I was gone. He had smelted Mrs. O'Leary's favorite bronze chewing bone. He'd forged her collar with the little smiley face and a crossbones name tag. Next to me, Beckendorf had been her best friend.**  
Percy and Grover were quiet thinking about Beckendorf and surprisingly so was most of the class. Most of them had never experienced the death of someone close before and this hit home. He had been their age.  
**Thinking about that made me sad all over again, but I threw the shield**  
**a few more times because Mrs. O'Leary insisted.**  
Everyone rolled their eyes at that sentence and Grover snorted.  
**Soon she started barking-a sound slightly louder than an artillery gun-**  
"That's loud." Todd said, unhelpfully.  
"We got it." Jared sneered. He was ignored and Grover looked at the jock questionably.  
**like she needed to go for a walk. The other campers didn't think it was funny when she went to the bathroom in the arena.**  
"I wouldn't either." Cara muttered.  
**It had caused more than one unfortunate slip-and-slide accident.**  
"Ew!" Most of the girls squealed and even the boys had to agree.  
"Bah!" Grover bleated. "Ew is right!" He had been one of those slip-and-slide accidents. Percy avoided his glare.  
**So I opened the gates of the arena, and she bounded straight toward the woods.**  
**I jogged after her, not too concerned that she was getting ahead. Nothing in the woods could threaten Mrs. O'Leary.**  
"I would hope not." Leila said under her breath.  
**Even the dragons and giant scorpions ran away when she came close.**  
"You guys have dragons and giant scorpions in your woods?" Carlos asked looking at Percy and Grover weirdly  
Percy shrugged. "We use them for training, stuff like that." He replied casually.  
"Okay." Carlos said slowly. He figured by now, demigods had a death wish.  
**When I finally tracked her down, she wasn't using the facilities. She was in a familiar clearing where the Council of Cloven Elders had once put Grover on trial.**  
"Why were you on trial?" Hailey asked Grover, but before he could answer Brett jumped in.  
"Grover's a criminal! Get away!" He yelled and Grover bleated.  
"Bah!" Grover said. "The council of Cloven Elders were just too stubborn to believe anything, even if it's true!" He yelled and then looked around worriedly.  
"Um, okay." Hailey said, glaring at Brett. Paul started to read again.  
**The place didn't look so good. The Grass had turned yellow. The three topiary thrones had lost all their leaves. But that's not what surprised me. In the middle of the glade stood the weirdest trio I'd ever seen: Juniper the tree nymph, Nico di Angelo, and a very old, very fat satyr.**  
"If he heard you say that!" Grover cried, eyes wide.  
**Nico was the only one who didn't seem freaked out by Mrs. O'Leary's appearance.**  
"Of course not."  
**He looked pretty much like I'd seen him in my dream-an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it, like one of those Day of the Dead picture.**  
Brett snorted. "That's pretty much what he was wearing when he came here." He said.  
"Nico doesn't have a lot of wardrobe choices." Percy said with a shrug of his shoulders.  
**His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. He was only twelve, but he looked much older and sadder.**  
Leila sighed. That's so sad, she thought.  
**He nodded when he saw me, then went back to scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears. She sniffed his legs like he was the most interesting thing since rib-eye steaks.**  
"Probably." Andrew muttered and everyone looked at him weirdly. "I mean to her!" He yelled trying to defend himself, but the class erupted into snickers.  
**Being the son of Hades, he'd probably been traveling in all sorts of hellhound-friendly places.**  
"I defiantly wouldn't want to go there.' Leila muttered and Percy and Grover both shivered.  
"You don't." Percy agreed. Leaving people wondering where he has been. You never know with a demigod.  
**The old satyr didn't look nearly as happy. "Will someone-what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"**  
**"Sorry, Leneus," I said. "That's your name, right?"**  
"He's not going to like that" Grover muttered.  
**The satyr rolled his eyes. His fur was dust-bunny gray, and a spiderweb grew between his horns. His belly would've made him an invincible bumper car.**

The class couldn't help but laugh. "You have the weirdest way of describing things." Brett chuckled. "I love it!"  
**"Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!"**  
**"WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said happily.**  
The class laughed again.  
**The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"**  
"What does she need help with?" Grover asked his brow furrowed with concern, although he had a faint idea.  
"You'll see G-man." Percy replied.  
**Juniper turned toward me. She was pretty in a dryad-y way, with her purple gossamer dress and her elfish face, but her eyes were green tinted with chlorophyll from crying.**  
Grover had a sinking feeling in his stomach.  
**"Percy," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus-"**  
Everyone looked at Grover, including Paul. Said person or satyr, groaned, his suspicions confirmed. Percy patted his back and gestured for Paul to read.  
**"I told you!" the satyr protested. "You are better off without that traitor."**  
Once again, the class turned to Grover, who cursed under his breath. "Bah!" He bleated indignantly. "That little-" but Paul cut him off by starting to read again.  
**Juniper stamped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"**  
Samantha smiled at him and Grover blushed. "I know how you feel G-man." Percy told him.  
**"WOOF!"**  
**Leneus's knees started knocking. "I . . . I won't answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"**  
The boys erupted into laughter.  
**Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up. "I'll walk the dog," he volunteered.**  
"Just a dog." Todd said dryly.  
**He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.**  
**Leneus huffed indignantly and brushed the twigs off his shirt. "Now, as I was trying to explain, young lady, your boyfriend has not sent any reports since we voted him into exile."**  
"Ooh. Juniper's your girlfriend?" Samantha cooed, well Grover blushed. Everyone else was looking at her with weird expressions.  
"Really?" Hailey asked at the same time Cara turned to Grover.  
"Why did you get exiled?" She asked curiously.  
Grover shifted uncomfortably. "Do you guys know who Pan is?" He asked. Everyone nodded and Marisa opened her mouth, who had been quiet until now, but Grover started to talk again before she could. "Well he faded and I was there. So was Percy. Pan told me that the satyrs and nature spirits had to take matters into our own hands. But when I tried to tell the Council of Cloven Elders they didn't believe me and called me a liar. And I was not exiled!" He huffed. After that explanation Paul took that as his cue to start reading again.  
**"You tried to vote him into exile," I corrected. "Chiron and Dionysus stopped you."**  
**"Bah! They are honorary Council members. It wasn't a proper vote"**  
**"I'll tell Dionysus you said that."**  
"Oooh." Brett smirked. "Blackmail. I like it."  
**Leneus paled. "I only meant . . . Now see here, Jackson. This is none of your business."**  
**"Grover's my friend," I said. "He wasn't lying to you about Pan's death. I saw it myself. You were just too scared to accept the truth." Leneus's lips quivered. "No! Grover's a liar and good riddance. We're better off without him."**  
Everyone was looking from Grover to the book, heads swiveling back and forth.  
**I pointed at the withered thrones. "If things are going so well, where are your friends? Looks like your Council hasn't been meeting lately."**  
**"Maron and Silenus . . . I . . . I'm sure they'll be back," he said, but I could**  
**hear the panic in his voice. "They're just taking some time off to think. It's been a very unsettling year."**  
"You shouldn't be taking time off during war!" Leila yelled, then covered her mouth. Percy and Grover nodded to her in understanding.  
**"It's going to get a lot more unsettling," I promised. "Leneus, we need Grover. There's got to be a way you can find him with your magic."**  
"There is." Grover grumbled.  
**The old satyr's eye twitched. "I'm telling you, I've heard nothing. Perhaps he's dead."**  
Brett snorted. "He's not dead, he's right here, silly goat." He said, causing Haley to smack him up side the head.  
**Juniper choked back a sob.**  
Samantha cooed.  
**"He's not dead," I said. "I can feel that much."**  
Everyone was confused by what he meant by that, especially Marisa  
**"Empathy links," Leneus said disdainfully. "Very unreliable."**  
Grover bleated.  
**"So ask around," I insisted. "Find him. There's a war coming. Grover was preparing the nature spirits.**  
**"Without my permission! And it's not our war." I grabbed him by the shirt, which seriously wasn't like me, but the stupid old goat was making me mad. "Listen, Leneus. When Kronos attacks, he's going to have packs of hellhounds. He's going to destroy everything in his path-mortals, gods, demigods. Do you think he'll let the satyrs go free? You're supposed to be a leader. So LEAD. Get out there and see what's happening. Find Grover and bring Juniper some news. Now, GO!"**  
The class turned to stare at Percy with shocked expressions. Grover shook his head but didn't seem surprised. He was used to it. "Leneus isn't going to like that." He muttered, almost to himself.  
**I didn't push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy. He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling. "Grover will never be accepted! He will die an outcast!"**  
Percy's classmates turned to look at Grover but when they saw the smug expression on his face decided not to say anything.  
**When he'd disappeared into the bushes, Juniper wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to get you involved. Leneus is still a lord of the Wild. You don't want to make an enemy of him."**  
"Percy has worse enemies." Grover snorted and the class didn't have a problem believing him, based on what they read so far. Paul, however, couldn't help but worry about his step-son.  
**"No problem," I said. "I've got worse enemies than overweight satyrs."**  
Some people chuckled. "You got that right."  
**Nico walked back to us. "Good job, Percy. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook him up pretty well."**  
Every one laughed at least a little at that.  
**I was afraid I knew why Nico was here, but I tried for a smile.**  
**"Welcome back. Did you come by just to see Juniper?" He blushed. "Um, no. That was an accident. I kind of . . . dropped into the middle of their conversation."**  
**"He scared us to death!" Juniper said. "Right out of the shadows. But, Nico, you are the son of Hades and all. Are you sure you haven't heard anything about Grover?"**  
**Nico shifted his weight. "Juniper, like I tried to tell you . . . even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."**  
"That's weird." Brett said bluntly. Hailey smacked him. "Don't be insensitive!" She yelled, but Grover just shrugged his shoulders, indifferent.)  
**"But if you do hear anything?" she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. "Anything at all?"**  
Grover sighed, putting his head in his hands. He felt horrible and he had been SLEEPING the whole time. Urgh.  
**Nico's cheeks got even brighter red. "Uh, you bet. I'll keep my ears open."**  
**"We'll find him, Juniper," I promised. "Grover's alive, I'm sure. There must be a simple reason why he hasn't contacted us." She nodded glumly. "I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I'm stuck here waiting. Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt-"**  
"That must suck, not being able to leave the forest." Leila commented and everyone agreed.  
**Mrs. O'Leary bounded back over and took an interest in Juniper's dress.**  
**Juniper yelped. "Oh, no you don't! I know about dogs and trees. I'm gone!"**  
Everyone laughed at that, especially the boys.  
**She went poof into green mist. Mrs. O'Leary looked disappointed, but she lumbered off to find another target, leaving Nico and me alone.**  
"I feel bad for her next target." Carlos muttered.  
**Nico tapped his sword on the ground. A tiny mound of animal bones erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off.**  
"That is creepy and cool at the same time!" Brett yelled, although he seemed to be the only one who thought so. His classmates looked slightly terrified.  
**"I was sorry to hear about Beckendorf."**  
A couple kids, including Percy and Grover, looked down sadly.  
**A lump formed in my throat. "How did you-"**  
**"I talked to his ghost."**  
"Okay." Brett said, giving in. "That is beyond creepy." Their eyes were all wide.  
"It could be useful..." Hailey said, trailing off at the end. Nobody commented and stayed silent so Paul continued to read.)  
**"Oh . . . right." I'd never get used to**  
**the fact that this twelve-year-old kid spent more time talking with the dead than the living.**  
"Neither would I." Someone said and everyone else agreed. That was at the same time someone else yelled "He's only 12?!"  
**"Did he say anything?"**  
**"He doesn't blame you. He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."**  
**"Is he going to try for rebirth?"**  
"What's rebirth?" A kid asked and the class groaned as they saw the look in Marisa's eyes. Before Percy could say a thing Marisa began to talk.  
"When you die you go to the underworld. If you lead a bad life than you get punished for eternity. If you just lived and didn't do anything special you go to the asphodel **(sp. check?)** fields. If you did great things you to Elysium. But you can try for rebirth and if you achieve Elysium three times, you go to the isles of the blest, which is paradise for dead people." Marisa told them all in one breath and looked very smug with herself. Everyone glared at the kid who had asked the question in the first place.  
"That's one way to put it..." Percy said slowly and Paul continued to read before anything else could be said.  
**Nico shook his head. "He's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone. Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death."**  
"Aww!" Samantha cooed. "He's waiting for her!" All the girls squealed with her. It was just so adorable!  
**It wasn't much comfort, but it was something.**  
**"I had a vision you were on Mount Tarn," I told Nico. "Was that-"**  
**"Real," he said. "I didn't mean to be**  
**spying on the Titans, but I was in the neighborhood."**  
"Just in the neighborhood." Todd said dryly. That kid freaked him out. Percy shrugged. You never knew with Nico.  
**"Doing what?"**  
**Nico tugged at his sword belt. "Following a lead on . . . you know, my family."**  
Nobody had any idea what that meant, but decided not to ask questions.  
**I nodded. I knew his past was a painful subject. Until two years ago, he and his sister Bianca had been frozen in time at a place called the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They'd been there for like seventy years. Eventually a mysterious lawyer rescued them and checked them into a boarding school, but Nico had no memories of his life before the casino. He didn't know anything about his mother. He didn't know who the lawyer was, or why they'd been frozen in time or allowed to go free. After Bianca died and left Nico alone, he'd been obsessed with finding answers.**  
"That is one sucky childhood." Andrew said and nobody disagreed. They couldn't imagine having a childhood like that.  
**"So how did it go?" I asked. "Any luck?"**  
**"No," he murmured. "But I may have a new lead soon."**  
**"What's the lead?"**  
**Nico chewed his lip. "That's not important right now. You know why I'm here."**  
"Yeah Percy stop changing the subject." Brett said shaking his head in mock disappointment.  
**A feeling of dread started to build in my chest. Ever since Nico first proposed his plan for beating Kronos last summer, I'd had nightmares "about it. He would show up occasionally and press me for an answer, but I kept putting him off.**  
"What could be so bad?" Carlos asked. Percy and Grover both shuddered and Carlos didn't get an answer.  
**"Nico, I don't know," I said. "It seems pretty extreme."**  
**"You've got Typhon coming in, what . . . a week? Most of the other Titans are unleashed now and on Kronos's side. Maybe it's time to think extreme."**  
**I looked back toward the camp. Even from this distance I could hear the Ares and Apollo campers fighting again, yelling curses and spouting bad poetry.**  
"It is so not a good time for that." Leila grumbled. No one heard her.  
**"They're no match for the Titan army," Nico said. "You know that.**  
**"This comes down to you and Luke. And there's only one way you can beat Luke."**  
"Don't be such a pessimist." Leila said, louder this time, although she sounded doubtful.  
**I remembered the fight on the Princess Andromeda. I'd been hopelessly outmatched. Kronos had almost killed me with a single cut to my arm, and I couldn't even wound him. Riptide had glanced right off his skin.**  
Marisa's eyebrows inched together. She was still confused about that.  
**"We can give you the same power," Nico urged. "You heard the Great Prophecy. Unless you want to have your soul reaped by a cursed blade . . ."**  
"You can't stop a prophecy." Marisa said, glancing at Percy. Said person sighed heavily. He knew too well it was true.  
**I wondered how Nico had heard the prophecy-probably from some ghost."You can't prevent a prophecy," I said.**  
"Creepy." Brett said. "You guys said the same thing." but no one felt like laughing  
**"But you can fight it." Nico had a strange, hungry light m his eyes.**  
**"You can become invincible."**  
"What!?" Everyone was shocked and disbelieving.  
"You'll see." Percy said shortly.  
**"Maybe we should wait. Try to fight without-"**  
**"No!" Nico snarled. "It has to be now!" I stared at him. I hadn't seen his temper flare like that in a long time.**  
**"Urn, you sure you're okay?"**  
**He took a deep breath. "Percy, all I mean . . . when the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. I'm sorry**  
**if I'm being too pushy, but two years ago my sister gave her life to protect you. I want you to honor that. Do whatever it takes to stay alive and defeat Kronos."**  
"That's so sweet." Cara whispered. Everyone was confused.  
**I didn't like the idea. Then I thought about Annabeth calling me a coward, and I got angry.**  
Some of the girls rolled their eyes.  
**Nico had a point. If Kronos attacked New York, the campers would be no match for his forces.**  
"Maybe..." Leila said but her voice trailed off.  
**I had to do something. Nico's way was dangerous-maybe even deadly. But it might give me a fighting edge.**  
A couple kids leaned forward, on the edge of their chairs. They wanted to know so badly.  
**"All right," I decided. "What do we do first?" His cold creepy smile made me sorry I'd agreed. "First we'll need to retrace Luke's steps.**  
"Why would you do that?" Marisa asked. Hailey rolled her eyes. "We'll just have to read and find out, won't we." She snapped.  
**We need to know more about his past, his childhood."**  
No one, not even Marisa, said anything, they were all very, confused.  
**I shuddered, thinking about Rachel's picture from my dream-a smiling nine-year-old Luke. "Why do we need to know about that?"**  
**"I'll explain when we get there," Nico said. "I've already tracked down his mother. She lives in Connecticut."**  
"Stalker." Brett sang. Some people rolled their eyes but no one commented.  
**I stared at him. I'd never thought much about Luke's mortal parent. I'd met his dad, Hermes, but his mom . . .**  
**"Luke ran away when he was really young," I said. "I didn't think his mom was alive."**  
**"Oh, she's alive." The way he said it made me wonder what was wrong with her. What kind of horrible person could she be?**  
The rest of the class was thinking the same thing.  
**"Okay . . ." I said. "So how do we get to Connecticut? I can call Blackjack-"**  
"Really?" Cara asked. "You need a Pegasus to get to Connecticut?" Percy just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and didn't answer.  
**"No." Nico scowled. "Pegasi don't like me, and the feeling is mutual. But there's no need for flying." He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary came loping out of the woods.**  
"What's Mrs. O'Leary going to do?" Todd asked. Percy just smirked.  
**"Your friend here can help." Nico patted her head. "You haven't tried shadow travel yet?"**  
"What the Hades is shadow travel?! Brett screamed. Percy's smirk grew wider.  
**"Shadow travel?"**  
Some people snickered.  
**Nico whispered in Mrs. O'Leary's**  
**ear. She tilted her head, suddenly alert.**  
**"Hop on board," Nico told me.**  
"Get on that thing?!" Samantha shrieked. Nobody thought she had been listening.  
**I'd never considered riding a dog before, bur Mrs. O'Leary was certainly big enough. I climbed onto her back and held her collar.**  
"And you don't even question it." Samantha muttered.  
**"This will make her very tired," Nico warned, "so you can't do it often. And it works best at night. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."**  
"That makes no sense." Brett said.  
"I didn't get either." Percy told them. "I still don't."  
**"I don't understand," I said.**  
Everyone snickered.  
**"No," Nico said. "It took me a long time to learn. But Mrs. O'Leary knows. Tell her where to go. Tell her Westport, the home of May Castellan."**  
"Seems easy enough." Brett said. "No need to be complicated."  
**"You're not coming?"**  
**"Don't worry," he said. "I'll meet you there." I was a little nervous, but I leaned down to Mrs. O'Leary's ear.**  
**"Okay, girl. Uh, can you take me to Westport, Connecticut? May Castellan's place?"**  
**Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air. She looked into the gloom of the forest. Then she bounded forward, straight into an oak tree.**  
"What!?"  
**Just before we hit, we passed into shadows as cold as the dark side of the moon.**  
"And that's the chapter."

**Most likely there will be NO heroes o olympus although it might happen later. Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry again about the late update. i meant to post this chapter earlier today but my computer was being glitchy and than i went to a birthday party... We finished our play last night, (didn't mess up!) so I will have more time to write. I am really behind on this chapter so here is the beginning. I'll get the rest up Monday or Tuesday. Sorry! **

**disclaimer: me no own**

**"MY COOKIES GET SCORCHED"** Paul began.

"No!" Brett cried. "Not the cookies!"

**I don't recommend shadow travel if you're scared of:**  
**a) The dark**  
**b) Cold shivers up your spine**  
**c) Strange noises**  
**d) Going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off.**

"That sounds horrible." Cara said, a slightly terrified look on her face, like her classmates.

**In other words, I thought it was awesome.**

"How do you think that's awesome?" Percy shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and got some very weird looks.

**One minute I couldn't see anything. I could only feel Mrs. O'Leary's fur and my fingers wrapped around the bronze links of her dog collar.**

"Why does she even need a dog collar?" Marisa asked.  
"I don't know." Percy said, eyebrows drawn together. "I've never really thought about it."

**The next minute the shadows melted into a new scene. We were on a cliff in the woods of Connecticut.**

Everyone (besides Percy) went wide eyed with disbelief and shock. How do you get from New York City to Connecticut by driving a hellhound into a tree? They wondered.

**At least, it looked like Connecticut from the few times I'd been there: lots of trees, low stone walls, big houses. Down one side of the cliff, a highway cut through a ravine. Down the other side was someone's backyard. The property was huge-more wilderness than lawn. The house was a two-story white Colonial. Despite the fact that it was right on the other side of the hill from a highway, it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. I could see a light glowing m the kitchen window. A rusty old swing set stood under under an apple tree.**

Everyone was at least a little jealous. Living in New York City, they didn't exactly have a spacious yard and nice house.

**I couldn't imagine living in a house like this, with an actual yard.**

"Me neither." Hailey said, who lived in a cramped apartment.

**I'd lived in a tiny apartment or a school dorm my whole life. If this was Luke's home, I wondered why he'd ever wanted to leave.**

"Why would he?" Leila asked.  
Percy sighed. "He had a really good reason." He said. "I would leave too." Now they were really curious.

**Mrs. O'Leary staggered. I remembered what Nico had said about shadow travel draining her, so I slipped off her back. She let out a huge toothy yawn that would've scared a T. rex,**

"Wouldn't wanna see that." Carlos muttered. The feeling was mutual.

**then turned in a circle and flopped down so hard the ground shook.**

"Jeez."

**Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and**  
**created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm.**

**"I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes.**

**"How did you do that?"**

**"Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."**

Laughs rose up from the class. "That's crazy!" Brett laughed.

**Mrs. O'Leary started snoring. If it hadn't been for the roar of traffic behind us, I'm sure she would've woken up the whole neighborhood.**

Percy's classmates probably wouldn't have believed that if they hadn't seen Mrs. O'Leary in person. "And I thought I snored loud." Brett said, earning laughs.

**"Are you going to take a nap too?" I asked Nico. He shook his head.**

**"The first time I shadow traveled, I passed out for a week. Now it just makes me a little drowsy, but I can't**  
**do it more than once or twice a night. Mrs. O'Leary won't be going anywhere for a while."**

**"So we've got some quality time in Connecticut." I gazed at the white Colonial house. "What now?"**

**"We ring the doorbell," Nico said.**

"Just ring the doorbell." Hailey muttered. Marisa was wondering how the plan was supposed to work. If she was Luke's mom she wouldn't just open the door to two strange boys.

**If I were Luke's mom, I would not have opened my door at night for two strange kids. But I wasn't anything like Luke's mom. I knew that even before we reached the front door. The sidewalk was lined with those little stuffed beanbag animals you see in gift shops. There were miniature lions, pigs, dragons, hydras, even a teeny Minotaur in a little Minotaur diaper.**

"Ok, she's loco." Brett decided and had the same weird look on their face and they all nodded their heads, agreeing with Brett, some laughing.

Percy found himself agreeing with them until he stopped himself. It's not her fault, he reminded himself firmly, yet his classmates didn't know that.

**Judging from their their sad shape, the beanbag creatures had been sitting out here a long time-since the snow melted last spring at least. One of the hydras had a tree sapling sprouting between its necks.**

"Wow." Was the class's only comment. This women really was coco. They thought, and figured demigods had very messed up lives.

**The front porch was infested with wind chimes. Shiny bits of glass and metal clinked in the breeze. Brass ribbons tinkled like water and made me realize I needed to use the bathroom.**

A couple people snickered and Percy blushed lightly.

**I didn't know how Ms. Castellan could stand all the noise.**

Everyone agreed with that.

**The front door was painted turquoise. The name CASTELLAN was written in English, and below in Greek: Διοικητής φρουρίου.**

Paul stumbled over the Greek word and the class laughed. Paul continued to read hurriedly and Marisa was wondering what it meant. **( A\N Does anyone know what that means? I'm to lazy to look it up.)**

**Nico looked at me. "Ready?"**

**He'd barely tapped the door when it swung open.**

**"Luke!" the old lady cried happily.**

A couple people raised their eyebrows questionably.

**She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets.**

Everyone laughed, having a good idea what she looked like already.

**Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head. Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash. When she smiled, her face looked unnaturally stretched, and the high-voltage light in her eves made me wonder if she was blind.**

The class looked a little freaked out by the woman's appearance. She did however, fit the crazy lady description perfectly. They also realized why Luke might want to run away.

Percy shivered, remembering his meeting with her. Go figure, a boy who has battled thousands of monsters, gets scared by an old lady.

**"Oh, my dear boy!" She hugged Nico.**

"How do you mistake Nico for Luke?" Marisa asked. Most people were wondering the same thing and turned to Percy for an answer who waved his hand in a "you'll have to read to find out gesture".

**I was trying to figure out why she thought Nico was Luke (they looked absolutely nothing alike),**

"Truer words have never been spoken." Percy muttered under his breath.

**when she smiled at me and said, "Luke!"**

**She forgot all about Nico and gave me a hug.**

"What?" No one knew what to make of this woman but she was crazier than they originally thought.

She smelled like burned cookies. She was as thin as a scarecrow, but that didn't stop her from almost crushing me.

"Grow some muscle." Jared snapped, despite the fact Percy was defiantly stronger than him. He was ignored.

**"Come in!" she insisted. "I have your lunch ready!" She ushered us inside. The living room was even weirder than the front lawn. Mirrors and candles filled every available space. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing my own reflection.**

"I wonder why she would want to see herself 24/7." Todd mused. "I know if I her I wouldn't."

"That was rude." Leila snapped, but it was half-hearted. No one defended the old lady either. Percy wanted to, but didn't, not wanting to ruin the story in any way.

**Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock. I tried to imagine the god of messengers ever falling in love with this old woman, but the idea was too bizarre.**

The class seemed shocked for a moment, than confused. They had totally forgotten that she had been Hermes, um, lover, and could not imagine it. Way to weird.

**Then I noticed the framed picture on the mantel, and I froze. It was exactly like Rachel's sketch-Luke around nine years old, with blond hair and a big smile and two missing teeth.**

Everyone (besides the obvious) was a little freaked out. How had Rachel known that? Marisa was thinking hard but came to no answer. "Stalker." Brett said and Hailey smacked him.

**The lack of a scar on his face made him look like a different person-carefree and happy. How could Rachel have known about that picture?**

"That's what we want to know." Marisa grumbled. She snuck a look at Percy who was lounging in his chair with a slightly smug look on his face. He knew, but she knew there was no way he was ever going to tell.

**"This way, my dear!" Ms. Castellan steered me toward the back of the house. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!"**

It was at that moment that Leila felt a little bad for Luke's mother. Her only son had left her all alone, without warning. Leila wondered if May Castellan had always been crazy.

**She sat us down at the kitchen table. Stacked on the counter were hundreds-I mean hundreds-of Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones on the bottom were green and fuzzy, like they'd been there for a long time. The smell reminded me of my sixth grade locker-and that's not a good thing.**

"Eww." The girls cried wrinkling their noses. It was pretty gross. This lady just kept getting crazier.

**On top of the oven was a stack of cookie sheets. Each one had a dozen burned cookies on it.**

"Noo!" Brett moaned. "She burnt the cookies!"

"I know it was tragic." Percy said solemnly. The girls rolled their eyes. Boys, they thought.

**In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. A beanbag Medusa sat by the faucet like she was guarding the mess.**

Snorts and laughter came from some of Percy's classmates.

**Ms. Castellan started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly and started making a new sandwich. Something was burning in the oven. I got the feeling more cookies were on the way.**

"Whoop!" The boys yelled. Cookies were on the way.

**Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures;**  
**cut from magazines and newspaper ads-pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.**

"Again stalker." Brett said. He was ignored and Samantha huffed at him.

**My heart sank. I wanted to get out of that room, but Ms. Castellan kept smiling at me as she made the sandwich, like she was making sure I didn't bolt.**

"That's a little creepy."

**Nico coughed. "Urn, Ms. Castellan?"**

**"Mm?"**

**"We need to ask you about your son."**

Cara winced figuring this wasn't going to go well. Percy ran his fingers threw his hair.

**"Oh, yes! They told me he would never come back. But I knew better." She patted my cheek affectionately, giving me peanut butter racing stripes.**

"Gross." Samantha said, inspecting her nails. People rolled their eyes at her.

**"When did you last see him?" Nico asked.**

**Her eyes lost focus.**

**"He was so young when he left," she said wistfully. "Third grade. That's too young to run away! He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and KoolAid. He'll be back for lunch very soon. . . ." Then she looked at me and smiled. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."**

"Okay than." Carlos muttered. This was so confusing.

**She turned toward the pictures of Hermes above the sink. "Now, there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."**

They seemed slightly taken back by that. Paul wondered if Poseidon ever visited Sally and felt a twinge of jealously.

**The clock kept ticking in the other room. I wiped the peanut butter off my face and looked at Nico pleadingly, like Can we get out of here now?**

"If only." Percy muttered.

**"Ma'am," Nico said. "What, uh . . . what happened to your eyes?" Her gaze seemed fractured-like she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope. "Why, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasn't it? I'd always been special, able to see through the . . . whatever-they-call-it."**

"The Mist." Marisa supplied.

Brett smirked. "Not so special anymore." He said. "Now everyone can see. No more secrets."

**"The Mist?" I said.**

**"Yes, dear." She nodded encouragingly. "And they offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"**

Marisa was thinking over time.

**I glanced at Nico, but he looked as confused as I was.**

**"What sort of job?" I asked. "What happened?" Ms. Castellan frowned. Her knife hovered over the sandwich bread.**

"Oh my gods she's holding a knife!" Brett screamed in horror. The boys snickered and Hailey grumbled under her breath, "Idiot."

**"Dear me, it didn't work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny!**

Even more confusing...

**And now . . . I still can't get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookies?" She pulled a tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen lumps of chocolate chip charcoal on the table.**

"Noooo!" The boys wailed. "Still burned!"

**"Luke was so kind," Ms. Castellan murmured. "He left to protect me, you know. He said if he went away, the monsters wouldn't threaten me. But I told him the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in." She picked up the little stuffed Medusa from the windowsill. "Do they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all."**

"Craazzy." Brett muttered.

**She beamed at me. "I'm so glad you came home. I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"**

"I would have been." Jared sneered.

Percy turned to look at him, eyes as hard as steel. "You have no idea." He spat, then turned like nothing had happened. Paul shifted uncomfortably and continued to read hurriedly.

**I shifted in my seat. I imagined being Luke sitting at this table, eight "or nine years old, and just beginning to realize that my mother wasn't all there.**

"That's horrible." Leila whispered. Her and her classmates had mostly had a nice, good childhood. They couldn't imagine what that must be like.

**"Ms. Castellan," I said.**

**"Mom," she corrected.**

**"Um, yeah. Have you seen Luke since he left home?"**

**"Well, of course!"**

**I didn't know if she was imagining that or not. For all I knew, every time the mailman came to the door he was Luke.**

"I feel bad for her mailman." Brett muttered.

**But Nico sat forward expectantly.**

**"When?" he asked. "When did Luke visit you last?"**

**"Well, it was . . . Oh goodness . . ." A shadow passed across her face.**

**"The last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar, and his voice so full of pain . . ."**

Percy sighed. Luke hadn't always been bitter, he thought.

**"His eyes," I said. "Were they gold?"**

**"Gold?" She blinked. "No. How silly. Luke has blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!"**

**So Luke really had been here, and this had happened before last summer-before he'd turned into Kronos.**

**"Ms. Castellan?" Nico put his hand on the old woman's arm. "This is very important. Did he ask you for anything?"**

"What would he ask her for?" Marisa wondered out loud. There was no answer.

**She frowned as if trying to remember. "My-my blessing. Isn't that sweet?" She looked at us uncertainly. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did." Nico looked at me triumphantly.**

"What the...?" Cara said. A couple people glanced at Percy, who had a smug look on his face. Marisa groaned trying to fit the prices together but came up empty.

**"Thank you, ma'am. That's all the information we-"**

**Ms. Castellan gasped. She doubled over, and her cookie tray clattered to the floor.**

The class blinked in surprise. They had no idea what was going on except that this lady was about to get crazier.

**Nico and I jumped to our feet.**

**"Ms. Castellan?" I said.**

**"AHHHH," She straightened. I scrambled away and almost fell over the kitchen table, because her eyes-her eyes were glowing green. "My child," she rasped in a much deeper voice. "Must protect him!**  
**Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate- no!" She grabbed Nico by the shoulders and began to shake him as if to make him understand. "Not his fate!"**

Everyone was quiet, not knowing what to say. There was more to this lady than they had first thought. Marisa sighed in frustration. Nothing added up!

The class turned to look at Percy who was stiff in his seat. Noticing their looks, Percy smirked his trouble-maker smirk. "I'm not telling." He said.

**Nico made a strangled scream and pushed her away. He gripped the hilt of his sword. "Percy, we need to get out-"**

"That would be smart." Todd said.

**Suddenly Ms. Castellan collapsed. I lurched forward and caught her before she could hit the edge of the table. I managed to get her into a chair.**

**"Ms. C?" I asked.**

**She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head.**

**"Goodness. I . . . I dropped the cookies. How silly of me."**

"That's what your thinking about? The cookies?" Hailey said aloud. This woman was confusing.

**She blinked, and her eyes were back to normal-or at least, what they had been before. The green glow was gone.**

**"Are you okay?" I asked.**

"Well, of course, dear. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know maybe because you just started acting like a psychopath." Brett said casually. Percy sighed, he wanted to get this over with. They had no idea.

**I glanced at Nico, who mouthed the word Leave.**

"Again that would be smart." Said Todd.

**"Ms. C, you were telling us something," I said. "Something about your son."**

**"Was I?" she said dreamily. "Yes, his blue eyes. We were talking about his blue eyes. Such a handsome boy!"**

**"We have to go," Nico said urgently. "We'll tell Luke . . . uh, we'll tell him you said hello."**

**"But you can't leave!" Ms. Castellan got shakily to her feet, and I backed away.**

"You're scared of an old woman?" Jared sneered, although everyone was too engrossed in the story to hear, Percy sent him a death glare.

**I felt silly being scared of a frail old woman, but the way her voice had changed, the way she'd grabbed Nico . .**

Percy shivered.

**"Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"**

**"Maybe next time," I said. "Thank you for-" I looked down at the burned cookies scattered on the floor. "Thanks for everything." She tried to stop us, to offer us Kool-Aid, but I had to get out of that house. On the front porch, she grabbed my wrist and I almost jumped out of my skin. "Luke, at least be safe. Promise me you'll be safe."**

Marisa blinked, a couple pieces fitting together. It was like she knew...

**"I will . . . Mom."**

**That made her smile. She released my wrist, and as she closed the front door I could hear her talking to the candles: "You hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!"**

"Normal people talk to candles all the time." Carlos muttered.

**As the door shut, Nico and I ran. The little beanbag animals on the sidewalk seemed to grin at us as we passed.**

"Creeeppy!"

**Back at the cliff, Mrs. O'Leary had found a friend.**

I **also wanted to say that I have certain plans for certain chapters. Those plans will include the gods, Thalia, and more Annabeth!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's the rest of the chapter! Also some of you guys are asking for certain gods, but sometimes It just wouldn't fit in and would be OOC. I mean why would they be their in the first place? They are just reading a book for Engilsh...**

**Anyway heres the chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own.**

**Back at the cliff, Mrs. O'Leary had found a friend.**

"Who would make friends with a Hellhound?" Andrew asked.

"Wouldn't be a mortal." Marisa mused. Although Percy was remembering when Mrs. O'Leary had come to his school and everyone thought she was a poodle. "And a demigod would probably try to kill her."

"Maybe it's a monster." Todd suggested.

"No, if it was a monster Mrs. O'Leary would probably just eat it." Andrew said, rejecting the idea. Percy was watching them with an amused look.

"May I read?" Paul interrupted. He was however glad the kids were getting into this book. Usually they just lounged around and texted under their desks, thinking Paul couldn't see them.

**A cozy campfire crackled in a ring of stones. A girl about eight years old was sitting cross-legged next to Mrs. O'Leary, scratching the hellhound's ears.**

"Wow." Brett said. "Eight year olds today." He was just as confused as everyone else.

**The girl had mousy brown hair and a simple brown dress. She wore a scarf over her head so she looked like a pioneer kid-like the ghost of Little House on the Prairie or something. She poked the fire with a stick, and it seemed to glow more richly red than a normal fire.**

Marisa gasped, realizing who it was. She glanced over at Percy for confirmation, who nodded, although he seemed shocked that she figured it out so soon.

**"Hello," she said.**

**My first thought was: monster.**

Cara rolled her eyes. "So when you see little girls you think monster?" She asked although she was doubtful. What else could it be? She thought.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "What was I supposed to think?" Cara didn't answer.

**When you're a demigod and you find a sweet little girl alone in the woods-that's typically a good time to draw your sword and attack.**

Let's just say Percy got some very angry glares from the girls.

**Plus, the encounter with Ms. Castellan had rattled me pretty bad.**

Jared rolled his eyes. "Wimp." He was ignored.

**But Nico bowed to the little girl. "Hello again, Lady." She studied me with eyes as red as the firelight. I decided it was safest to bow.**

Paul raised an eyebrow at his step-son and Percy's classmates gave him some weird looks. From what they knew so far, Percy never did the safe thing.

"I know, I know, I did the safe thing. The world must be ending." Percy said rolling his eyes.

They were also wondering why Nico had bowed to the little girl.

**"Sit, Percy Jackson," she said. "Would you like some dinner?**

**After staring at moldy peanut butter sandwiches and burned cookies, I didn't have much of an appetite, but the girl waved her hand and a picnic appeared at the edge of the fire. There were plates of roast beef, baked potatoes, buttered carrots, fresh bread, and a whole bunch of other foods I hadn't had in a long time.**

**My stomach started to rumble. It was the kind of home-cooked meal people are supposed to have but never do. The girl made a five-foot-long dog biscuit appear for Mrs. O'Leary, who happily began tearing it to shreds. I sat next to Nico. We picked up our food, and I was about to dig in when I thought better of it.**

"A little girl offers you food in the woods, petting your pet hellhound and you don't question it." Hailey muttered. "Figures."

**I scraped part of my meal into the flames, the way we do at camp.**

"You burn food?!" Andrew yelled and all the boys were appalled. "You can't just burn food!"

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "It's for the gods." He said. He had thought it was pretty crazy at first too.

The girls were rolling their eyes muttering boys under their breath.

**"For the gods," I said.**

**The little girl smiled. "Thank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know."**

"So... She's a goddess?" Cara said slowly, but it came out like a question. She had a confused look on her face, like her peers.

**"I recognize you now," I said. "The first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area."**

**"You did not stop to talk," the girl recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nico talked to me. He was the first in many years. Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family."**

"That's so sad." Leila said softly, so only a few people heard her. "Being ignored... Forever."

**"You're Hestia," I said. "Goddess of the Hearth." She nodded.**

"Why does she look like a little girl?" Todd asked. Everyone was wondering the same thing. Weren't gods supposed to be all huge and almighty?

Percy answered, "It confused me too at first. Gods can look any way they like. Artemis is usually an eleven year old girl. Apollo is usually a teenager. Their weird like that."

"Um... Okay." Once again they were shocked by the gods laid back appearance.

**Okay . . . so she looked eight years old. I didn't ask. I'd learned that gods could look any way they pleased.**

**"My lady," Nico asked, "Why aren't you with the other Olympians, fighting Typhon?"**

**"I'm not much for fighting." Her red eyes flickered. I realized they weren't just reflecting the flames. They were filled with flames-but not like Ares's eyes. Hestia's eyes were warm and cozy.**

"Like home." Leila murmured.

**"Besides," she said, "someone has to keep the home fires burning while the other gods are away."**

**"So you're guarding Mount Olympus?" I asked.**

"I don't think guard is the right word." Marisa said.

**"'Guard' may be too strong a word. But if you ever need a warm place to sit and a home-cooked meal, you are welcome to visit. Now eat."**

**My plate was empty before I knew it. Nico scarfed his down just as fast.**

Boys some of the girls thought, mentally rolling their eyes.

**"That was great," I said. "Thank you, Hestia."**

** She nodded. "Did you have a good visit with May Castellan?"**

"How could a visit with May Castellan be good." Todd muttered and everyone agreed. Percy sighed. They just didn't understand!

**For a moment I'd almost forgotten the old lady with her bright eyes and her maniacal smile, the way she'd suddenly seemed possessed.**

"Pretty creepy." Carlos said.

**"What's wrong with her, exactly?" I asked.**

**"She was born with a gift," Hestia said. "She could see through the Mist."**

"Rachel could see through the Mist." Marisa pointed out. "But she's not crazy."

Percy sighed in frustration. "There's more." He said, impatiently.

**"Like my mother," I said. And I was also thinking, Like Rachel "But the glowing eyes thing-"**

"Is pretty weird."

**"Some bear the curse of sight better than others," the goddess said sadly. "For a while, May Castellan had many talents. She attracted the attention of Hermes himself. They had a beautiful baby boy. For a brief time, she was happy. And then she went too far." I remembered what Ms. Castellan had said: They offered me an important job . . . It didn't work out. I wondered what kind of job left you like that.**

Everyone shivered and looked at least a little horrified. They couldn't imagine what would do that to you, but you never knew with the gods.

**"One minute she was all happy," I said. "And then she was freaking out about her son's fate, like she knew he'd turned into Kronos. What happened to . . . to divide her like that?"**

"Well that's one way to put it." Brett said dryly and Percy wanted to smack him, but held himself back (I know, shocking). This was getting to far.

**The goddess's face darkened. "That is a story I do not like to tell. But May "May Castellan saw too much. If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family."**

Marisa was thinking hard, pieces fitting together like a puzzle, but she still couldn't see the big picture.

**I thought about the sad little pictures of Hermes taped above May Castellan's sink. I wondered if Ms. Castellan had been so crazy when Luke was little. That green-eyed fit could've seriously scared a nineyear-old kid. And if Hermes never visited, if he'd left Luke alone with his mom all those years . . .**

"No wonder he ran away." Leila said. No one disagreed. Maybe they would have to.

**"No wonder Luke ran away," I said.**

Not even Brett commented on the repeat of words.

**"I mean, it wasn't right to leave his mom like that, but still-he was just a kid. Hermes shouldn't have abandoned them."**

"The gods are probably very busy." Marisa said, than shrugged her shoulders at the looks thrown her way.

**Hestia scratched behind Mrs. O'Leary's**  
**ears. The hellhound wagged her tail and accidentally knocked over a tree.**

Everyone winced and looked a little frightened. One swipe of the tail and you could be dead meat. They had no idea how demigods fought off monsters like that everyday. Everyone (except Jared) held a little more respect for the son of Poseidon than they first had.

**"It's easy to judge others," Hestia warned. "But will you follow Luke's path? Seek the same powers?"**

Everyone, even Paul, cast a glance at Percy, maybe subconsciously. Percy scowled, hurt, but said nothing. Paul continued to read.

**Nico set down his plate. "We have no choice, my lady. It's the only way Percy stands a chance."**

Marisa groaned. She wanted know so badly what kind of plan could change the whole war. So did everyone else. Percy smiled mysteriously, hurt forgotten.

**"Mmm." Hestia opened her hand and the fire roared. Flames shot thirty feet into the air. Heat slapped me in the face. Then the fire died back down to normal.**

Percy's classmates were a little shocked. They had underestimated Hestia.

**"Not all powers are spectacular." Hestia looked at me. "Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. Do you believe me?"**

"Not really." Andrew said. No one said anything else.

**"Uh-huh," I said. Anything to keep her from messing with her flame powers again.**

A couple people chuckled and laughed. Percy.

**The goddess smiled. "You are a good hero, Percy Jackson. Not too proud. I like that. But you have much to learn. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave up my throne for him. It was the only way to avoid a civil war among the gods."**

"Wow." Cara said in awe. "That's very selfless." She now, along with others, held the goddess in very high respect.

**"It unbalanced the Council," I remembered. "Suddenly there were seven guys and five girls."**

**Hestia shrugged. "It was the best solution, not a perfect one. Now I tend tend the fire. I fade slowly into the background. No one will ever write epic poems about the deeds of Hestia. Most demigods don't even stop to talk to me. But that is no matter. I keep the peace. I yield when necessary.**

"Hestia deserves more." Leila said and everyone agreed. She shouldn't just disappear because she wasn't an Olympian anymore.

**Can you do this?"**

**"I don't know what you mean."**

**She studied me. "Perhaps not yet. But soon. Will you continue your quest?"**

**"Is that why you're here-to warn me against going?" Hestia shook her head. "I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the last Olympian. You must remember me when you face your final decision."**

"That was deep." Brett said, and Hailey smacked him. It was no time for that.

**I didn't like the way she said final.**

"You're still here though." Leila said, who glanced at Percy. Said demigod shifted uncomfortably. No one, after hearing the prophecy, could understand how he was still alive.

**I looked at Nico, then back at Hestia's warm glowing eyes. "I have to continue, my lady. I have to stop Luke . . . I mean Kronos." Hestia nodded. "Very well. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I have already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus."**

"Nice to know." Someone murmured.

**Her tone was ominous, as though our next meeting would not be happy.**

"Foreshadowing." Marisa said and Paul smiled at his student.

**The goddess waved her hand, and everything faded.**

**Suddenly I was home.**

"Back to New York than." Carlos muttered.

**Nico and I were sitting on the couch in my mom's apartment on the Upper East Side. That was the good news. The bad news was that the rest of the living room was occupied by Mrs. O'Leary.**

"Mrs. O'Leary needs to go on a diet." Andrew said, making the class laugh.

** I heard a muffled yell from the bedroom. Paul's voice said,**

"Mr. B!" Brett yelled. "You're mentioned!"

"Good observation." Paul said, rolling his eyes. There was a slight blush creeping up his neck. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this part.

** "Who put this wall of fur in the doorway?" **

The class laughed.

"Percy?" my mom called out. "Are you here? Are you all right?"

**"I'm here!" I shouted back. "WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary tried to turn in a circle to find my mom, knocking all the pictures off the walls. She's only met my mom once before (long story), but she loves her. **

"Aww." Some of the girls cooed.

**It took a few minutes, but we finally got things worked out. After destroying most of the furniture in the living room and probably making our neighbors really mad, we got my parents out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where we sat around the kitchen table. Mrs. O'Leary still took up the entire living room, but she'd settled her head in the kitchen doorway so she could see us, which made her happy. **

The girls cooed again, which made the boys wonder how they found a living room size hellhound cute. Percy however, knew that Mrs. O'Leary could be pretty adorable.

**My mom tossed her a ten-pound family-size tube of ground beef, which disappeared down her gullet.**

"Wow." Todd said. "She has a huge appetite."

Percy shrugged. "I don't usually feed her. She usually just hunts down monsters we keep in the woods."

** Paul poured lemonade for the rest of us while I explained about our visit to Connecticut. "So it's true." Paul stared at me like he'd never seen me before. He was wearing his white bathrobe, now covered in hellhound fur, and his salt-and-pepper hair was sticking up in every direction. **

The class laughed at their English teacher who was usually so neat and organized. Paul was blushing and **Percy smirked. Now his step-father could realize how torturous it was to read this book.**

**"All the talk about monsters, and being a demigod . . . It's really true." I nodded. Last fall I'd explained to Paul who I was. My mom had backed me up. But until this moment, I don't think he really believed us.**

Paul shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Sorry, Percy."

Percy smiled. "No prob. I didn't believe it at first either. Jeez, that was embarrassing." Paul smiled back and continued to read.

** "Sorry about Mrs. O'Leary," I said, "destroying the living room and all." Paul laughed like he was delighted. "Are you kidding? This is awesome! I mean, when I saw the hoof prints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!"**

The class laughed at Paul's enthusiasm. Said teacher was blushing.

** He patted Mrs. O'Leary's snout. The living room shook-BOOM, BOOM, BOOM-which either meant a SWAT team was breaking down the door or Mrs. O'Leary was wagging her tail.**

They rolled their eyes, but knew that the comparison was accurate.

** I couldn't help but smile. Paul was a pretty cool guy, even if he was my English teacher as well as my stepdad.**

A blushing Paul and Percy smiled at each other and the girls smiled at the father-son bonding. For everyone else, it was kind of awkward.

** "Thanks for not freaking out," I said.**

** "Oh, I'm freaking out, " he promised, his eyes wide. "I just think it's awesome!" **

The class laughed and Paul's blush seemed permanent.

**"Yeah, well," I said, "you may not be so excited when you hear what's happening."**

**I told Paul and my mom about Typhon, and the gods, and the battle that was sure to come. Then I told them Nico's plan.**

Everyone groaned. They still didn't know what the plan was! Percy and Paul were grinning mysteriously.

**My mom laced her fingers around her lemonade glass. She was wearing her old blue flannel bathrobe, and her hair was tied back. Recently she'd started writing a novel, like she'd wanted to do for years, and I could tell she'd been working on it late into the night, because the circles under her eyes were darker than usual. Behind her at the kitchen window, silvery moon lace glowed in the flower box. I'd brought the magical plant back from Calypso's island last summer,**

"You've been to Calypso's island!?" Marisa asked eyes wide.

Percy shifted uncomfortably under all the stares he was getting. "Um yeah." He said carefully. "It was after a blew up Mt. Saint Helens." Everyone was looking at the son of Poseidon with looks of fear or awe. A mixture of both. Percy cleared his throat and gestured for Paul to read, who did after a moment.

**and it bloomed like crazy under my mother's care.**

Percy smiled in pride for his mother.

**The scent always calmed me down, but it also made me sad because it reminded me of lost friends.**

Percy sighed, bad memories returning.

**My mom took a deep breath, like she was thinking how to tell me no.**

**"Percy, it's dangerous," she said. "Even for you."**

No one commented, knowing the more they spoke the longer it would take to find out what Nico's plan was.

**"Mom, I know. I could die. Nico explained that. But if we don't try-"**

**"We'll all die," Nico said. He hadn't touched his lemonade. "Ms. Jackson, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there will be an invasion."**

A couple people gulped. Some were wondering how they had missed an fricken invasion!

**"An invasion of New York?" Paul said. "Is that even possible? How could we not see the . . . the monsters?"**

"Thats what we want to know." Marisa grumbled.

**He said the word like he still couldn't believe this was real.**

The class rolled their eyes at Paul.

**"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't see how Kronos could just march into Manhattan, but the Mist is strong. Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think he's a storm system."**

"Yeah." Percy said. "You guys are so dense."

"Hey!" Hailey shouted. "We take offense to that!" The class nodded and yelled in agreement although they knew it was true.

**"Ms. Jackson," Nico said, "Percy needs your blessing. The process has to start that way. I wasn't sure until we met Luke's mom, but now I'm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk."**

Marisa groaned trying to figure out what the plan was, but couldn't figure it out.

**"You want me to bless this?" She shook her head. "It's crazy. Percy, please-"**

**"Mom, I can't do it without you."**

**"And if you survive this . . . this process?"**

**"Then I go to war," I said. "Me against Kronos. And only one of us will survive."**

"That's not going to make her feel better." Leila said, shaking her head in disapproval. Percy sighed. He hadn't meant to make his mother worry.

**I didn't tell her the whole prophecy-about the soul reaping and the end of my days. She didn't need to know that I was probably doomed. I could only hope I'd stop Kronos and save the rest of the world before I died.**

Percy's classmates were thinking about how selfless that was, but said nothing.

**"You're my son," she said miserably. "I can't just . . ." I could tell I'd have to push her harder if I wanted her to agree, but I didn't want to. I remembered poor Ms. Castellan in her kitchen, waiting for her son to come home. And I realized how lucky I was. My mom had always been there for me, always tried to make things normal for me, even with the gods and monsters and stuff. She put up with me going off on adventures, but now I was asking her blessing to do something that would probably get me killed.**

The girls smiled and oohed about how cute that was, well the some of the boys snickered, and Percy blushed.

**I locked eyes with Paul, and some kind of understanding passed between us.**

**"Sally." He put his hand over my mother's hands. "I can't claim to know what you and Percy have been going through all these years. But it "sounds to me . . . it sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage."**

Paul was blushing as he read this and tried to continue quickly, but someone jumped in. "Wow, Mr. B." Andrew said. "I didn't know you were so deep." Paul didn't answer and continued reading.

**I got a lump in my throat. I didn't get compliments like that too much.**

Percy and Paul smiled at each other. This book was bringing them closer.

**My mom stared at her lemonade. She looked like she was trying not to cry. I thought about what Hestia had said, about how hard it was to yield, and I figured maybe my mom was finding that out.**

Percy sighed. He felt really bad, even if there was nothing he could have done about it.

**"Percy," she said, "I give you my blessing." I didn't feel any different. No magic glow lit the kitchen or anything. I glanced at Nico. **

**He looked more anxious than ever, but he nodded. "It's time."**

**"Percy," my mom said. "One last thing. If you . . . if you survive this fight with Kronos, send me a sign." She rummaged through her purse and handed me her cell phone.**

"I wish my mom would give me her cellphone." Hailey muttered.

**"Mom," I said, "you know demigods and phones-"**

**"I know," she said. "But just in case. If you're not able to call . . . maybe a sign that I could see from anywhere in Manhattan. To let me know you're okay."**

**"Like Theseus," Paul suggested. "He was supposed to raise white sails when he came home to Athens."**

"It didn't work though." Marisa mumbled.

**"Except he forgot," Nico muttered. "And his father jumped off the palace**

**palace roof in despair. But other than that, it was a great idea."**

A couple people snorted.

**"What about a flag or a flare?" my mom said. "From Olympus-the Empire State Building."**

**"Something blue," I said.**

"Why blue?" Marisa asked and Paul smiled remembering their thing for blue and continued to read.

**We'd had a running joke for years about blue food. It was my favorite color, and my mom went out of her way to humor me. Every year my birthday cake, my Easter basket, my Christmas candy canes always had to be blue.**

"That's... Odd."

**"Yes," my mom agreed. "I'll watch for a blue signal. And I'll try to avoid jumping off palace roofs."**

They laughed again.

**She gave me one last hug. I tried not to feel like I was saying goodbye. I shook hands with Paul. Then Nico and I walked to the kitchen doorway and looked at Mrs. O'Leary.**

**"Sorry, girl," I said. "Shadow travel time again." She whimpered and crossed her paws over her snout.**

**"**So cute!" One of the girls squeaked and the boys rolled their eyes.

**"Where now?" I asked Nico. "Los Angeles?"**

**"No need," he said. "There's a closer entrance to the Underworld."**

"And that's the chapter." Paul said. His voice was a little shaky.

"You've been to the underworld!?" Marisa squeaked. Everyones eyes were wide.

Percy looked around uncomertably. These next couple chapters were going to be fun. Note the sarcasm. "I've been to the Underworld a bunch of tim-' the bell rang, than, cutting off the converstaion and leaving the class freaking out.

**I'm going to NYSSMA now, so wish me luck! Till the next update! Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys I am really sorry about the late update, but heres the deal. I'm on spring break and well my all my friends went away to places like costa rica and florida i went to Pennsylvannia. Anyway i have a house up there so i didnt go sight seeing or anything just went bowling and shopping. So i was able to write the chapter but there is NO WIFI THERE, so I couldn't post it. So here is the chapter. And dont worry gods will be coming in ! **

Percy was walking to school ( he had missed his ride with Paul and his car still wasn't fixed ) when he felt someone jump on him from behind, pushing him to the ground. In one swift motion, Percy pushed his attacker off and pulled out Riptide, only to come face to face with Thalia, Daughter of Zeus.

"Nice way to greet your cousin." Thalia said, hoping to her feet, ignoring Percy's hand to help.

"What do you want?" Percy asked. He was going to be late to school. Again.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "No need to be so rude. Look who I found." She was gesturing to behind Percy.

Tuning around he saw Nico, who didn't seem very happy to be there. Percy also noticed two girls who Percy recognized as Hunters of Artemis. Pretty but deadly. "What's up?" He asked Nico who didn't answer.

"I was in the area with the hunters when I saw Death boy here. Then I remembered the book you're reading that Annabeth told me about and I just had to come. Of course, I had to drag Nico along and I brought two hunters Phoebe and Lexa." (A/N I wanted Thalia to have two hunters with her but the only other huntress I knows the name of that's alive is Phoebe so Lexa is my OC huntress.)

Percy groaned. Great he thought. More people. "Come on." He grumbled.

"Hey guys." Percy said when he walked into the classroom. He was late due to certain people. "You know Nico. This is Thalia daughter of Zeus, Phoebe and Lexa. They're Hunters of Artemis." Percy remembered explaining the Hunters of Artemis before and hoped none of the boys would try to flirt with them, but of course he had to be wrong.

"Wow they are smokin'." Jared said. Immediately the three huntresses glared at him and Thalia gave him a sickly sweet smile. Percy knew this wouldn't be good. Thalia walked over and smiled at Jared who was smiling back thinking he had just scored the jackpot.

Then Thalia punched him in the face. She hasn't hit him very hard but he doubled over and clutched his cheek, which would probably have a bruise on it tomorrow. "Do not flirt with me or my hunters. My mistress can turn you into a jackalope without even thinking." She hissed, then walked to the back of the room with Phoebe and Lexa following, both glaring at Jared as they past.

Percy and Nico exchanged looks. This would be a long chapter. Then followed the girls to the back of the room.

**My Math Teacher Gives Me a Lift** Paul began.

Percy was already getting some weird looks.

**We emerged in Central Park just north of the Pond. Mrs. O'Leary looked pretty tired as she limped over to a cluster of boulders. She started sniffing around, and I was afraid she might mark her territory, but Nico said, "It's okay. She just smells the way home."**

"She's smelling the way home through the rocks?" Marisa asked in confusion.

Phoebe and Lexa huffed, "Stupid mortals." Phoebe said. Outraged cries came from said mortals.

Percy sighed and gestured for Paul to read after a, "You'll see." Answering Marisa's question.

**I frowned. "Through the rocks?"**

"It seems certain demigods aren't to bright either." Lexa said, rolling her eyes at Percy who yelled an dignified "Hey!"

**"The Underworld has two major entrances," Nico said. "You know the one in L.A."**

"There's not an entrance to the Underworld in L.A." Marisa said.

"Yes there is." Phoebe snapped.

"Wouldn't we see it?" Marisa asked dubiously.

"That's the point." Thalia said rolling her eyes. "You're not supposed to see it. It's disguised."

**"Charon's ferry"**

**Nico nodded. "Most souls go that way, but there's a smaller path, harder to find. The Door of Orpheus."**

**"The dude with the harp."**

"You see, there's the reason we call you kelp head." Thalia said. "And it wasn't even a harp."

**"Dude with the lyre," Nico corrected.**

"Ha!" Thalia yelled. "I was right!"

"No one disagreed with you Thalia." Percy grumbled.

**"But yeah, him. He used his music to charm the earth and open a new path into the Underworld. He sang his way right into Hades's palace and almost got away with his wife's soul."**

"Key word almost." Nico said.

**I remembered the story. Orpheus wasn't supposed to look behind him when he was leading his wife back to the world, but of course he did.**

"Men can't follow simple instructions, even when there's a life on the line." Phoebe said with disgust.

**It was one of those typical "and-so-they-died/the-end" stories that always made us feel warm and fuzzy.**

"Percy." Thalia said, giving him a weird look like everyone else. "I used to wonder what was going on in your head. I take that back." Percy just shrugged in response.

**"So this is the Door of Orpheus." I tried to be impressed, but it still looked like a pile of rocks to me.**

The three huntresses face-palmed. "You would think he would learn a thing or two." Lexa muttered.

**"How does it open?"**

**"We need music," Nico said. "How's your singing?"**

"Oh no." Thalia said. "Percy's singing sounds like a dying cat."

"It's not that bad." Percy complained.

"Is too." Thalia retorted. Shockingly Percy didn't fight back. She was right, not that he would ever tell her that.

**"Um, no. Can't you just, like, tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all."**

**"It's not so easy. We need music."**

**I was pretty sure if I tried to sing, all I would cause was an avalanche.**

"See!" Thalia yelled. "You agree!" Percy grumbled something under his breath that wasn't very nice.

**"I have a better idea." I turned and called, "GROVER!" We waited for a long time. Mrs. O'Leary curled up and and took a nap. I could hear the crickets in the woods and an owl hooting. Traffic hummed along Central Park West. Horse hooves clopped down a nearby path, maybe a mounted police patrol. I was sure they'd love to find two kids hanging out in the park at one in the morning.**

"It would have been quicker to go to L.A." A kid mumbled.

**"It's no good," Nico said at last.**

**But I had a feeling. My empathy link was really tingling for the first time in months, which either meant a whole lot of people had suddenly switched on the Nature Channel, or Grover was close.**

"It's probably the second one kelp brains." Thalia said.

**I shut my eyes and concentrated. Grover.**

**I knew he was somewhere in the park. Why couldn't I sense his emotions? All I got was a faint hum in the base of my skull. Grover, I thought more insistently.**

**Hmm-hmmmm, something said.**

**An image came into my head. I saw a giant elm tree deep in the woods, well off the main paths. Gnarled roots laced the ground, making a kind of bed. Lying in it with his arms crossed and his eyes closed was a satyr. At first I couldn't be sure it was Grover. He was covered in twigs and leaves, like he'd been sleeping there a long time. The roots seemed to be shaping themselves around him, slowly pulling him into the earth.**

"Creepy." Was echoed around the room and although she knew he was fine Thalia couldn't help but worry about the old goat.

**Grover, I said. Wake up.**

**Unnnh- zzzzz.**

**Dude, you're covered in dirt. Wake up!**

**Sleepy, his mind murmured.**

**FOOD, I suggested. PANCAKES!**

**His eyes shot open.**

The laughter that had been building up erupted now. "Only Grover." Thalia said with a shake if her head.

**A blur of thoughts filled my head like he was suddenly on fast-forward. The image shattered, and I almost fell over.**

**"What happened?" Nico asked.**

**"I got through. He's . . . yeah. He's on his way." A minute later, the tree next to us shivered.**

"I didn't know trees could shiver." Brett said, earning a smack in the head from Hailey, who got smiles from the huntresses.

**Grover fell out of the branches, right on his head.**

Everyone burst into laughter once again. "Same old goat boy." Thalia said. Nico's sides were shaking with laughter.

"When we went on our first quest, Grover ate the apple we were playing hackie sack with." Percy told Nico and Thalia making them laugh harder.

**"Grover!" I yelled.**

**"Woof!" Mrs. O'Leary looked up, probably wondering if we were going to play fetch with the satyr.**

"That would be awesome!" Nico yelled, than noticing the looks he was getting shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I mean, not with Grover, just you know..."

"Sure Nikky." Thalia said and Percy ruffled his hair.

"Don't call me that." Nico grumbled, slouching in his seat..

**"Blah-haa-haa!" Grover bleated.**

**"You okay, man?"**

**"Oh, I'm fine." He rubbed his head. His horns had grown so much they poked an inch above his curly hair. "I was at the other end of the park. The dryads had this great idea of passing me through the trees to get me here.**

"Dryads have such great ideas." Percy said with a smirk.

**They don't understand height very well." He grinned and got to his feet-well, his hooves, actually. Since last summer, Grover had stopped trying to disguise himself as human. "He never wore a cap or fake feet anymore. He didn't even wear jeans, since he had furry goat legs from the waist down. His T-shirt had a picture from that book Where the Wild Things Are.**

"Such a fashion don't." Samantha said, not looking up from her nails that she was examining. The huntresses including Thalia, glared in disgust at the shallow girl. Everyone else just ignored her.

**It was covered with dirt and tree sap. His goatee looked fuller, almost manly (or goatly?), and he was as tall as me now.**

"Our goat boy is all grown up." Percy said and Thalia, Nico and Percy all started laughing, ignoring some odd looks.

**"Good to see you, G-man," I said. "You remember Nico." Grover nodded at Nico, then he gave me a big hug. He smelled like fresh-mown lawns.**

**"Perrrrcy!" he bleated. "I missed you! I miss camp. They don't serve very good enchiladas in the wilderness."**

"That would be awesome if they did!" Nico said and all the boys cheered in agreement.

"Ugh." Thalia said, and moved her chair away from her cousins.

**"I was worried," I said. "Where've you been the last two months?"**

**"The last two-" Grover's smile faded. "The last two months? What are you talking about?"**

**"We haven't heard from you," I said. "Juniper's worried. We sent Irismessages, but-"**

**"Hold on." He looked up at the stars like he was trying to calculate his position. "What month is this?"**

**"August."**

**The color drained from his face. "That's impossible. It's June. I just lay down to take a nap and . . ."**

"Just a nap." Percy smirked. Thalia hit him, and too late did she realize her mistake. She clutched her hand and glared at Percy who was smiling in triumph.

The mortals (sans Paul) looked at them with confusion but no one made a move to explain. Marisa tried hopelessly to figure it out, but she was no daughter of Athena.

**He grabbed my arms. "I remember now! He knocked me out. Percy, we have to stop him!"**

"Stop who?" Marisa asked.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "If you just waited maybe you would find out." She snapped.

**"Whoa," I said. "Slow down. Tell me what happened." He took a deep breath. "I was . . . I was walking in the woods up by Harlem Meer. And I felt this tremble in the ground, like something powerful was near."**

**"You can sense stuff like that?" Nico asked.**

**Grover nodded. "Since Pan's death, I can feel when something is wrong in nature. It's like my ears and eyes are sharper when I'm in the Wild. Anyway, I started following the scent. This man in a long black coat was walking through the park, and I noticed he didn't cast a shadow. Middle of a sunny day, and he cast no shadow. He kind of shimmered as he moved."**

"Creepy dude." Brett said. Phoebe and Lexa cast questioning looks at Percy, silently asking if it was Morpheus, who nodded in confirmation.

**"Like a mirage?" Nico asked.**

**"Yes," Grover said. "And whenever he passed humans-"**

**"The humans would pass out," Nico said. "Curl up and go to sleep."**

The mortals eyes widened in complete confusion and fright. Nobody, not even Marisa said anything though.

**"That's right! Then after he was gone, they'd get up and go about their business like nothing happened."**

"What the...?" Marisa mumbled in confusion. This was creepy.

**I stared at Nico. "You know this guy in black?"**

**"Afraid so," Nico said. "Grover, what happened?"**

**"I followed the guy. He kept looking up at the buildings around the park like he was making estimates or something. This lady jogger ran by, and she curled up on the sidewalk and started snoring. The guy in black put his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature. Then he kept walking. By this time, I knew he was a monster or something even worse. I followed him into this grove, to the base of a big elm tree. I was about to summon some dryads to help me capture him when he turned and . . ."**

Percy's classmates all had wide eyes and were leaning forward in their seats.

**Grover swallowed. "Percy, his face. I couldn't make out his face because it kept shifting. Just looking at him made me sleepy. I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'Just having a look around. You should always scout a battlefield before the battle.' I said something really smart like, 'This forest is under my protection. You won't start any battles here!' And he laughed. He said, 'You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event, little satyr. I'll just grant you a short nap. Pleasant dreams.' And that's the last thing I remember."**

"Stupid Morpheus." Lexa grumbled. "The little traitor."

None of the mortals had anything to say about that. They were too shocked. And maybe for the first time they realized how hard this war was going to be. That it wasn't just about the fighting.

**Nico exhaled. "Grover, you met Morpheus, the God of Dreams. You're lucky you ever woke up."**

"I would have thought the God of Dreams would be nice." Cara said.

"Not at all." Lexa grumbled.

**"Two months," Grover moaned. "He put me to sleep for two months!"**

"I wonder what that would be like." Percy mused out loud. No one had and answer.

**I tried to wrap my mind around what this meant. Now it made sense why we hadn't been able to contact Grover all this time.**

**"Why didn't the nymphs try to wake you?" I asked.**

Thalia cursed in Greek under her breath. "Nymphs aren't very smart." She said bitterly.

"What did they ever do to you?" Percy asked her. Thalia didn't answer, but the hunters knew. They had been there during the um, incident.

**Grover shrugged. "Most nymphs aren't good with time. Two months for a tree-that's nothing. They probably didn't think anything was wrong."**

**"We've got to figure out what Morpheus was doing in the park," I said. "I don't like this 'main event' thing he mentioned."**

"But the main events the best part!" Brett yelled.

"Oh my gods." The huntresses and some other girls said, shaking their heads at him. Idiot.

**"He's working for Kronos," Nico said. "We know that already. A lot of the minor gods are. This just proves there's going to be an invasion. Percy, we have to get on with our plan."**

**"Wait," Grover said. "What plan?"**

"That's what we want to know!" Percy's classmates cried. This was getting seriously annoying.

**We told him, and Grover started tugging at his leg fur.**

**"You're not serious," he said. "Not the Underworld again."**

"How many times have you been to the Underworld?" Andrew asked. The whole class found the idea that you would go into the Underworld once and come back alive crazy, let alone more than once.

"I dunno." Percy said. "A couple."

"More than most sane people." Thalia muttered under her breath.

**"I'm not asking you to come, man," I promised. "I know you just woke up. But we need some music to open the door. Can you do it?" Grover took out his reed pipes.**

**"I guess I could try. I know a few Nirvana tunes that can split rocks. But, Percy, are you sure you want to do this?"**

**"Please, man," I said. "It would mean a lot. For old times' sake?"**

**He whimpered. "As I recall, in the old times we almost died a lot.**

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yeah I remember when I almost died a billion times. The good old days." She said sarcastically.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "We had some good times!"

"In life or death situations most likely." Thalia said and Percy mumbled something inaudible knowing Thalia was right.

**But okay, here goes nothing."**

**He put his pipes to his lips and played a shrill, lively tune. The boulders trembled. A few more stanzas, and they cracked open, revealing a triangular crevice.**

**I peered inside. Steps led down into the darkness. The air smelled of mildew and death. It brought back bad memories of my trip through the Labyrinth last year, but this tunnel felt even more dangerous. It led straight to the land of Hades, and that was almost always a oneway trip.**

Everyone shivered, even Nico. That was pretty scary.

**I turned to Grover. "Thanks . . . I think."**

A couple people chuckled.

**"Perrrrcy, is Kronos really going to invade?"**

**"I wish I could tell you better, but yeah. He will." I thought Grover might chew up his reed pipes in anxiety, but he straightened up and brushed off his T-shirt. I couldn't help thinking how different he looked from fat old Leneus. "I've got to rally the nature spirits, then. Maybe we can help. I'll see if we can find this Morpheus.'"**

**"Better tell Juniper you're okay, too."**

**His eyes widened. "Juniper! Oh, she's going to kill me!"**

Samantha smiled fondly and a couple people laughed lightly.

**He started to run off, then scrambled back and gave me another hug.**

**"Be careful down there! Come back alive!"**

"Great advice." Leila said, raising an eyebrow.

"That's Grover for you." Percy replied.

**Once he was gone, Nico and I roused Mrs. O'Leary from her nap. When she smelled the tunnel, she got excited and led the way down the steps.**

"Of course a Hellhound would get excited to go to the Underworld." Andrew said.

**It was a pretty tight fit. I hoped she wouldn't get stuck. I couldn't imagine how much Drano we'd need to un-stick a hellhound wedged halfway down a tunnel to the Underworld.**

Everyone laughed. "Idiot." Lexa said, although she was holding back giggles.

**"Ready?" Nico asked me. "It'll be fine. Don't worry." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.**

Nico blushed lightly and gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

**I glanced up at the stars, wondering if I would ever see them again.**

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I never thought your thoughts would be so depressing."

**Then we plunged into darkness.**

**The stairs went on forever-narrow, steep, and slippery. It was completely dark except for the light of my sword. I tried to go slow, but Mrs. O'Leary had other ideas. She bounded ahead, barking happily.**

**The sound echoed through the tunnel like cannon shots, and I figured we would not be catching anybody by surprise once we reached the bottom.**

"No duh." Thalia said.

**Nico lagged behind, which I thought was strange.**

**"You okay?" I asked him.**

**"Fine." What was that expression on his face . . . doubt? "Just keep moving," he said.**

Now, everyone had glanced over at Nico, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat under the stares. Even Thalia threw Nico a questioning look. Percy hadn't told anyone about what had happened in the Underworld between him and Nico. Percy told Paul to keep reading.

**I didn't have much choice. I followed Mrs. O'Leary into the depths. After another hour, I started to hear the roar of a river.**

"There's a river in the Underworld?" Carlos asked in confusion.

"The River Styx." Marisa snapped and it was at that moment that a couple of more pieces fit into place.

**We emerged at the base of a cliff, on a plain of black volcanic sand. To our right, the River Styx gushed from the rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To our left, far away in the gloom, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos, the great black walls of Hades's kingdom. I shuddered. I'd first been here when I was twelve, and only Annabeth and Grover's company had given me the courage to keep going. Nico wasn't going to be quite as helpful with the "courage" thing. He looked pale and worried himself.**

"Real helpful Death Boy." Thalia said, but she was becoming worried. Something was wrong...

**Only Mrs. O'Leary acted happy. She ran along the beach, picked up a random random human leg bone, and romped back toward me. She dropped the bone at my feet and waited for me to throw it.**

"That is disgusting!" A girl yelled and not even the hunters said it wasn't.

**"Um, maybe later, girl." I stared at the dark waters, trying to get up my nerve. "So, Nico . . . how do we do this?"**

"It's simple." Thalia said, with fake cheeriness. "You jump in the river."

"Thanks for the help pinecone face." Percy shot back.

**"We have to go inside the gates first," he said.**

**"But the river's right here."**

**"I have to get something," he said. "It's the only way." He marched off without waiting.**

"That is the stupidest thing to do ever." Thalia demanded, glaring at Nico. He was hiding something and she knew it. Nico groaned when they find out what he did...

**I frowned. Nico hadn't mentioned anything about going inside the gates. But now that we were here, I didn't know what else to do. Reluctantly, I followed him down the beach toward the big black gates.**

Nico had a very guilty look on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Thalia. Percy gave Nico a smile, silently telling him that he had forgiven Nico for what had happened

**Lines of the dead stood outside waiting to get in. It must've been a heavy day for funerals, because even the EZ-DEATH line was backed up.**

The mortals shivered. Death did not seem pleasant.

**"Woof!" Mrs. O'Leary said. Before I could stop her she bounded toward the security checkpoint. Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, appeared out of the gloom-a three-headed rottweiler so big he made Mrs. O'Leary look like a toy poodle.**

Percy's classmates all went wide eyed. That was very scary and one way or another they would eventually encounter him.

**Cerberus was half transparent, so he's really hard to see until he's close enough to kill you, but he acted like he didn't care about us. He was too busy saying hello to Mrs. O'Leary.**

"Okay that's kind of cute." Cara said leaving most if classmates wondering how two humongous dogs that could kill you with a swat of their tails, was cute.

**"Mrs. O'Leary, no!" I shouted at her. "Don't sniff . . . Oh, man."**

A couple people chuckled lightly.

**Nico smiled. Then he looked at me and his expression turned all serious again, like he'd remembered something unpleasant.**

Thalia was becoming uneasy, continuously glancing at Nico.

**"Come on. They won't give us any trouble in the line. You're with me."**

Thalia smirked, her uneasiness forgotten for the moment. "Must be nice to be famous to dead people." She said. Nico shot her a half-hearted glare.

**I didn't like it, but we slipped through the security ghouls and into the Fields of Asphodel. I had to whistle for Mrs. O'Leary three times before she left Cerberus alone and ran after us.**

"Mrs. O'Leary's found a friend." Todd said.

**We hiked over black fields of grass dotted with black poplar trees. If I really died in a few days like the prophecy said, I might end up here forever, but I tried not to think about that.**

"Seriously Perce," Thalia said. "your thoughts are depressing."

**Nico trudged ahead, bringing us closer and closer to the palace of Hades.**

**"Hey," I said, "we're inside the gates already. Where are we-" Mrs. O'Leary growled. A shadow appeared overhead-something dark, cold, and stinking of death. It swooped down and landed in the top of a poplar tree.**

**Unfortunately, I recognized her. She had a shriveled face, a horrible blue knit hat, and a crumpled velvet dress. Leathery bat wings sprang from her back. Her feet had sharp talons, and in her brassclawed hands she held a flaming whip and a paisley handbag.**

"Ewww." Samantha said, wrinkling her nose. "Horrible fashion sense."

Everyone ignored her, wondering what kind of horrible monster this was, except for the hunters who gave her a look of hatred.

**"Mrs. Dodds," I said.**

"Mrs. Dodds?" Phoebe asked. "You call a fury Mrs. Dodds?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Men."

"Hey!" Percy yelled in defense. "I have my reasons!"

"I don't want to know."

**She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."**

"What's with the honey?" Brett asked.

Nico shrugged his tense shoulders. "I have no idea."

**Her two sisters-the other Furies-swooped down and settled next to her in the branches of the poplar.**

**"You know Alecto?" Nico asked me.**

**"If you mean the hag in the middle, yeah," I said. "She was my math teacher."**

"Math teacher?" Leila asked. Everyone turned to look at Percy, waiting for his answer.

Percy sighed. He didn't want to explain.

"She went undercover as my math teacher so she could eat once she confirmed I was a demigod." He explained hurriedly, leaving the class wondering if any of their teachers had been under cover monsters.

**Nico nodded, like this didn't surprise him. He looked up at the Furies and took a deep breath. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."**

Nico tensed and looked ready to bolt. Thalia's glare on Nico harden.

**I tensed. "Wait a second, Nico. What do you-"**

**"I'm afraid this is my new lead, Percy. My father promised me information about my family, but he wants to see you before we try the river. I'm sorry."**

Before Nico could make a move Thalia grabbed his wrist preventing him from moving. Phoebe and Lexa were grumbling about how all men were the same and weren't to be trusted. Some of Percy's classmates were looking at Nico with distrust.

"Nico." Thalia hissed and before she could say anything else, Percy stepped in.

"Chill Thals." He said. "Can we just read the chapter?" Nico cast Percy a grateful look and after a moment Thalia backed down but she was still glaring at Nico. Slowly the kids turned back to look at Paul, but they gave Nico looks of uncertainty. After a moment Paul continued to read.

**"You tricked me?" I was so mad I couldn't think. I lunged at him, but the Furies were fast. Two of them swooped down and plucked me up by the arms. My sword fell out of my hand, and before I knew it, I was dangling sixty feet in the air.**

Nico wanted nothing more than to shadow-travel out of there but knew it would just cause him more trouble.

**"Oh, don't struggle, honey," my old math teacher cackled in my ear.**

**"I'd hate to drop you."**

"They'd better not." Thalia hissed, still glaring at Nico.

**Mrs. O'Leary barked angrily and jumped, trying to reach me, but we were too high.**

**"Tell Mrs. O'Leary to behave," Nico warned. He was hovering near me in the clutches of the third Fury. "I don't want her to get hurt, Percy. My father is waiting. He just wants to talk."**

"I really thought he did." Nico said, trying to defend himself even though he knew he deserved it.

"It's okay, Nico." Percy said reassuringly, giving Thalia a look.

**I wanted to tell Mrs. O'Leary to attack Nico, but it wouldn't have done any good, and Nico was right about one thing: my dog could get hurt if she tried to pick a fight with the Furies.**

"At least Mrs. O'Leary is safe." Thalia snapped.

**I gritted my teeth. "Mrs. O'Leary, down! It's okay, girl." She whimpered and turned in circles, looking up at me. "All right, traitor," I growled at Nico. "You've got your prize. Take me to the stupid palace."**

Nico wanted nothing more than to disappear.

**Alecto dropped me like a sack of turnips in the middle of the palace garden.**

**It was beautiful in a creepy way. Skeletal white trees grew from marble basins. Flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones. A pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel. It would've been a nice place to spend a Saturday morning except for the sulfurous smell and the cries of tortured souls in the distance.**

"Umhm." Hailey said sarcastically. "I can see how you might want to spend the day there."

**Skeletal warriors guarded the only exit. They wore tattered U.S. Army desert combat fatigues and carried M16s.**

Percy and Thalia both shivered. "Bad memories." Thalia muttered. Percy nodded in agreement.

**The third Fury deposited Nico next to me. Then all three of them settled on the top of the skeletal throne. I resisted the urge to strangle Nico.**

Most of Percy's classmates were wondering how Nico had gained Percy's forgiveness as they were obviously on good terms now.

**They'd only stop me. I'd have to wait for my revenge. I stared at the empty thrones, waiting for something to happen. Then the air shimmered. Three figures appeared-Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.**

"Ah." Phoebe smirked. "Immortal arguments are always the best." The two other huntresses nodded in agreement with similar looks on their faces.

**"-told you he was a bum!" the older woman said.**

This of course, sent some people into laughter. All demigods and hunters alike knew how much Demeter hated Hades.

**"Mother!" Persephone replied.**

**"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!" Hades, one of my least favorite gods, smoothed his black robes, which were covered with the terrified faces of the damned. He had pale skin and the intense eyes of a madman.**

Everyone shivered. He was probably more terrifying in person and Thalia, Nico and Percy knew that first hand.

**"Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction. "At last." Queen Persephone studied me curiously. I'd seen her once before in the winter, but now in the summer she looked like a totally different goddess. She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with colors. Flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed-roses, tulips, honeysuckle.**

"She seems nice." Leila said.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "She's okay." He said and Nico moaned.

"You try living with her!" He grumbled.

**The woman standing between them was obviously Persephone's mother. She had the same hair and eyes, but looked older and sterner. Her dress was golden, the color of a wheat field. Her hair was woven with dried grasses so it reminded me of a wicker basket. I figured if somebody lit a match next to her, she'd be in serious trouble.**

"You boy, are an idiot." Phoebe said disdainfully.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. "I didn't do anything this time!" Phoebe ignored him.

**"Hmmph," the older woman said. "Demigods. Just what we need." Next to me, Nico knelt. I wished I had my sword so I could cut his stupid head off.**

"Harsh." Nico muttered. Percy wanted to tell him he deserved it but decided Thalia was making him feel guilty enough.

**Unfortunately, Riptide was still out in the fields somewhere.**

"What a shame." Lexa said, looking pointedly at Nico making him shy away from the immortal huntress.

**"Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked."**

**"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister would've done a better job."**

Nico tensed and the mention of his sister and Thalia and Percy both had sad looks on their faces, Percy's guilty as well. Phoebe and Lexa were sad as well, though they hasn't known Bianca well she had been a fellow huntress, even of it had only been for a little bit.

**Nico lowered his head. If I hadn't been so mad at the little creep, I might've felt sorry for him.**

**I glared up at the god of the dead. "What do you want, Hades?"**

**"To talk, of course." The god twisted his mouth in a cruel smile.**

**"Didn't Nico tell you?"**

**"So this whole quest was a lie. Nico brought me down here to get me killed."**

Thalia glared once again at Nico, but she didn't say anything. She would wait till the chapter was over with.

**"Oh, no," Hades said. "I'm afraid Nico was quite sincere about wanting to help you. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and bring you here first."**

Thalia hesitated for a moment. "Fine." She said at last. "I forgive you." But there was something a little untrusting in her voice. The other two hunters were still muttering about how unreliable boys were.

**"Father," Nico said, "you promised that Percy would not be harmed. You said if I brought him, you would tell me about my past-about my mother."**

Thalia softened at that. She could relate to that. The huntresses softened a little too.

**Queen Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we please not talk about that woman in my presence?"**

**"I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something."**

**The older lady harrumphed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers, but noooo. You had to eat the pomegranate."**

They couldn't help but laugh. The way she said it... It was just too funny. Some were laughing harder than others if you know who I mean.

**"Mother-"**

**"And get stuck in the Underworld!"**

**"Mother, please-"**

**"And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"**

Everyone was still laughing. Phoebe had been right- immortal fights were the best.

**"DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."**

"I wouldn't exactly call it a house." Nico mumbled. He defiantly liked it better when people weren't screaming at him.

**"Oh, a house is it?" she said. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp-"**

**"I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth, "there's a war in the world above. You and Persephone are better off here with me."**

"Or you should be fighting up there." Lexa snarled. The mortals were wondering why they weren't. Wouldn't they want to help save themselves?

**"Excuse me," I broke in. "But if you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it?"**

"Excited for your death?" Lexa smirked.

**All three gods looked at me.**

**"Well, this one has an attitude," Demeter observed.**

**"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."**

"Doesn't everyone." Percy grumbled. It certainly became annoying when everyone you meant seemed to want to kill you.

**"Father!" Nico said. "You promised!"**

**"Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go around incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."**

Nico rolled his eyes at Percy's smug expression. "She says that about every hero."

**Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out.**

"See?" Nico said. Percy grumbled something in Ancient Greek.

**Let me kill him, just a little bit."**

"Just a little bit." Thalia said cheerfully. "That's a bright side. I mean most people/ immortal beings/ monsters want to kill you all the way and painfully."

Percy glared half-heartedly at his cousin. "The support you have for me is amazing." He said to her.

**"Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him. You said if I brought him, you'd explain."**

**Hades glowered, smoothing the folds of his robes. "And so I shall. Your mother-what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman." He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear. I mean for a mortal, of course. Her name was Maria di Angelo. She was from Venice, but her father was a diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades.**

**World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, other children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way."**

"So." Marisa said after a moment. "World War || was between demigods?"

The three hunters were glaring at her in disgust. That's what she got out of that? Ugh.

Eventually Percy answered. "Yeah, pretty much. It was Zeus and Poseidon's kids vs Hade's kids." After that no one said anything and Paul continued to read.

**"That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"**

"The Lotus Casino?" Marisa asked.

Nico didn't feel like explaining and thankfully Percy did it for him. "It's a casino where everything is free and there are lots of cool games and stuff but you could be there for years and it would only feel like a couple of days. You don't age. Before you say that seems pretty cool its not. I was in there for five days and it only felt like an hour."

The mortals were wide eyed. "You've been there before?" Thalia asked. She was a little shocked.

Percy nodded. "On my first quest with Annabeth and Grover. You always underestimate me." By the end of that sentence Percy was smirking and Thalia didn't say anything.

**Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I waited for the right time to bring you out."**

**"But what happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?"**

Nico was grumbling some things in Italian that probably weren't very nice under his breath.

**"Not important," Hades snapped.**

"Of course it's important." Leila snapped glaring at the book. Thalia and her huntresses were too.

**"What? Of course it's important. And you had other children-why were we the only ones who were sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"**

"Good questions Niccy," Thalia said sling her arm over her little cousins shoulder. Nico stiffened at the gesture, surprised, but Thalia didn't move away and neither did Nico. "that Hades will most likely never answer."

**Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer . . ."**

**Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, the Fury Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She-he-looked strange crouching at Hades's shoulder.**

Everyone shivered. That mental image was very strange. "She was creepy enough as a monster." Thalia muttered.

**"You!" Nico said.**

**The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!"**

**Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?"**

**"You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot**

"Hey, I didn't choose to be the child of the prophecy." Percy said and looked over at Thalia. He did remember though when he first found out Nico was a son of Hades he had kept it a secret. Thalia didn't say anything but she had always be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."

felt guilty about dumping the prophecy back on Percy.

**I plucked a ruby off the nearest plant and threw it at Hades.**

"That's not going to do anything but I'm surprised he didn't blast you right then for that." Nico said.

**It sank harmlessly into his robe. "You should be helping Olympus!" I said.**

**"All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here-"**

**"Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When's the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When's the last time a child of mine was ever welcomed as a hero? Bah! Why should I rush out and help them? I'll stay here with my forces intact."**

"He should still be helping." Andrew said. None of the demigods/ hunters said anything, knowing he did help in the end. Still.

**"And when Kronos comes after you?"**

**"Let him try. He'll be weakened. And my son here, Nico-" Hades looked at him with distaste. "Well, he's not much now, I'll grant you. It would've been better if Bianca had lived. But give him four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixteen, as the prophecy says, and then he will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods."**

All eyes were on Nico. He shifted in his seat, not meeting anyone's eyes. His father was so embarrassing and the comment about Bianca had hurt.

**"You're crazy," I said. "Kronos will crush you, right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus."**

"If, Kronos wins." Thalia said.

**Hades spread his hands. "Well, you'll get a chance to find out, half blood because you'll be waiting out this war in my dungeons."**

Nico was still feeling guilty and he had a feeling the next chapter wasn't going to help.

**"No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!"**

"Give it up Death Boy." Thalia said. Nico was cursing himself about how he had been so naive.

**"I've told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson. I did not harm him. You got your information. If you had wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. Now, go to your room!" He waved his hand, and Nico vanished.**

"You have a room in the Underworld?" Carlos asked Nico with shock. The mortals were all wondering how you could spend so much time in the Underworld without going insane. Too crazy.

"Yup." Was Nico's only answer.

**"That boy needs to eat more," Demeter grumbled. "He's too skinny. He needs more cereal."**

"What's with Demeter and cereal?" Todd asked.

None of the demigods nor the hunters had an answer for that. "She's just obsessed. At least her children aren't." Percy replied.

**Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother, enough with the cereal. My lord Hades, are you sure we can't let this little hero go? He's awfully brave."**

"Again," Nico said "she says that about every hero."

"Not you." Percy retorted.

"That's because she hates me." Nico replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

**"No, my dear. I've spared his life. That's enough." I was sure she was going to stand up for me. The brave, beautiful Persephone was going to get me out of this.**

"Good luck with that." Nico said, rolling his eyes.

"It was all I had!" Percy defended.

**She shrugged indifferently. "Fine. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."**

"Told you." He muttered. No one else said anything.

**"Cereal," Demeter said.**

Laughter rang out. Persephone should have been expecting that.

**"Mother!" The two women disappeared in a swirl of flowers and wheat.**

**"Don't feel too bad, Percy Jackson," Hades said. "My ghosts keep me well informed of Kronos's plans. I can assure you that you had no chance to stop him in time. By tonight, it will be too late for your precious Mount Olympus. The trap will be sprung."**

"And than you''ll die too." Phoebe snarled. How could he not realize that?

**"What trap?" I demanded. "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods!"**

**Hades smiled. "You are spirited. I'll give you credit for that. Have fun in my dungeon. We'll check on you again in-oh, fifty or sixty years."**

On that happy note, the bell rang.

**230 reviews! you guys are the best! Keep them coming i love reading them so much and knowing what you think. A god/godess will come in soon i just need to figure it out. not next chapter. Also could you please check it my new story? Please? I know i should be focusing on this one but i just had to post it. Hope you liked this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I am so so sorry about the late update, but i have been really busy. Anyway enjoy this chapter.**

**My sword reappeared in my pocket.**

**Yeah, great timing. Now I could attack the walls all I wanted.**

"That's the spirit!" Thalia cheered, smiling innocently at Percy when he glared at her.

**My cell had no bars, no windows, not even a door. The skeletal guards shoved me straight through a wall, and it became solid behind me.**

"That's pretty good security." Andrew said. The mortals and Thalia were all wondering how Percy was going to get out.

"I guess." Nico muttered. It was built to hold dead people who could go through walls so it should be he thought.

**I wasn't sure if the room was airtight. Probably. Hades's dungeon was meant for dead people, and they don't breathe. So forget fifty or sixty years. I'd be dead in fifty or sixty minutes.**

Thalia glared at Nico, but only for a moment before turning away.

**Meanwhile, if Hades wasn't lying, some big trap was going to be sprung in New York by the end of the day, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.**

"Don't think that way." Leila scolded, looking at Percy.

Percy shrugged. "What was I supposed to think? Hades was just gong to free me?" Leila didn't answer.

**I sat on the cold stone floor, feeling miserable.**

"Don't even look for an escape." Thalia said in disapproval.

**I don't remember dozing off. Then again, it must've been about seven in the morning, mortal time, and I'd been through a lot. I dreamed I was on the porch of Rachel's beach house in St. Thomas.**

"Dreaming of Rachel?" Samantha said, with a knowing smirk.

"What would Annabeth think?" Nico asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I was not dreaming about Rachel!" Percy said, clearly frustrated. "It was a demigod dream!" Thalia was rolling her eyes. So much drama over romance. Useless.

**The sun was rising over the Caribbean. Dozens of wooded islands dotted the sea, and white sails cut across the water. The smell of salt air made me wonder if I would ever see the ocean again.**

"More with the pessimistic thoughts." Leila tsked.

**Rachel's parents sat at the patio table while a personal chef fixed them omelets.**

"Mmm." Todd said. "Omelets are good."

"They taste even better when a personal chef makes them." Brett added and everyone agreed. Some of the boys cheered for omelets.

**Mr. Dare was dressed in a white linen suit. He was reading The Wall Street Journal. The lady across the table was probably Mrs. Dare, though all I could see of her were hot pink fingernails and the cover of Condé Nast Traveler. Why she'd be reading about vacations while she was on vacation, I wasn't sure.**

"That's stupid." Hailey said. She had a feeling Mrs. Dare was one of those people she would hate.

**Rachel stood at the porch railing and sighed. She wore Bermuda shorts and her van Gogh T-shirt.**

"Wow." Cara said. "I'm surprised you know who Van Gogh is."

"Wait for it." Percy said, raising a finger. He wouldn't learn and remember stuff for no reason.

**(Yeah, Rachel was trying to teach me about art, but don't get too impressed. I only remembered the dude's name because he cut his ear off.)**

Thalia shook her head. "And here I was thinking there might be more in your head than kelp."

"Hey! I think Annabeth is starting to rub off on me!" He retorted.

"We can only hope." Thalia muttered, causing Percy to huff in annoyance.

**I wondered if she was thinking about me, and how much it sucked that I wasn't with them on vacation.**

"Well somebody has a big ego." Thalia drawled. Percy ignored her.

**I know that's what I was thinking.**

"Of course." Hailey said. "Any sane person would rather being on vacation then trapped in a prison."

"Well we never said Percy was sane..." Nico said, trailing off at the end with a smirk.

**Then the scene changed. I was in St. Louis, standing downtown under the Arch. I'd been there before. In fact, I'd almost fallen to my death there before.**

Unlike the mortals, Thalia and Nico weren't even surprised. "You and National Monuments just don't mix do you?" Thalia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup." Percy said. It was probably best if he didn't explain. It was easier that way.

**Over the city, a thunderstorm boiled-a wall of absolute black with lightning streaking across the sky. A few blocks away, swarms of emergency vehicles gathered with their lights flashing. A column of dust rose from a mound of rubble, which I realized was a collapsed skyscraper.**

All three demigods winced. For the first time they realized how much the war had affected the mortal world.

**A nearby reporter was yelling into her microphone: "Officials are describing this as a structural failure, Dan, though no one seems to know if it is related to the storm conditions**."

"Yeah." Nico said sarcastically. "It couldn't possibly be Greek gods fighting The monster Typhon." Thalia smacked him and said he was an idiot.

**Wind whipped her hair. The temperature was dropping rapidly, like ten degrees just since I'd been standing there.**

"Maybe your just bad luck, Perce." Nico said.

**"Thankfully, the building had been abandoned for demolition," she said. "But police have evacuated all nearby buildings for fear the collapse might trigger-"**

**She faltered as a mighty groan cut through the sky. A blast of lightning hit the center of the darkness. The entire city shook. The air glowed, and every hair on my body stood up. The blast was so powerful I knew it could only be one thing: Zeus's master bolt. It should have vaporized its target, but the dark cloud only staggered backward. A smoky fist appeared out of the clouds. It smashed another tower, and the whole thing collapsed like children's blocks. The reporter screamed. People ran through the streets.**

The mortals eyes were all wide. They all remembered the terrifying storm clearly, but now knowing the truth about what had really been going on just made it scarier.

**Emergency lights flashed. I saw a streak of silver in the sky-a chariot pulled by reindeer,**

"Santa Clause!" Brett yelled. Most of the boys snickered with laughter. Thalia squeezed her eyes tight grumbling some not very nice things.

**but it wasn't Santa Claus driving.**

This made everyone laugh harder and Brett blushed a little.

**It was Artemis, riding the storm, shooting shafts of moonlight into the darkness.**

Thalia smiled in pride at the mention of Artemis.

**A fiery golden comet crossed her path . . . maybe her brother Apollo.**

"Probably." Thalia said. It was weird to think of immature, funny Apollo fighting in a war.

**One thing was clear: Typhon had made it to the Mississippi River. He was halfway across the U.S., leaving destruction in his wake, and the gods were barely slowing him down.**

Percy's classmates thought about that for a moment. Ever since it had been revealed that the gods were real it had been drilled into their minds that the gods were all powerful and nothing was above them. But if this monster was pushing aside them like they were nothing... That wasn't good.

**The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed,**

**"Percy!"**

"Scared the Hades out of me." Percy grumbled, giving Nico a pointed look.

**I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.**

**"Want . . . to . . . rescue," he choked.**

"You better not be up to your tricks again." Thalia hissed. She wasn't as mad as before, but still... Nico shrank back in his seat.

**Anger woke me up fast. "Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?"**

**"No . . . choice?" he gagged.**

"He's got a point." Todd said. It was either that or rot in a cage for eternity.

**I wished he hadn't said something logical like that. I let him go. Nico curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. Finally he got to his feet, eyeing my sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. I suppose if he'd wanted to kill me, he could've done it while I slept.**

"True."

**Still, I didn't trust him.**

**"We have to get out of here," he said.**

**"Why?" I said. "Does your dad want to talk to me again?" He winced.**

**"Percy, I swear on the River Styx, I didn't know what he was planning."**

**"You know what your dad is like!"**

"Ouch." Nico mumbled, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. Some people were shooting him wary looks. Even Thalia every now and than. He hated it. But he deserved. He felt awful.

**"He tricked me. He promised-" Nico held up his hands.**

"Hades a trickster. You shouldn't have trusted him." Thalia said, but there was a gentleness in her voice. Like she wasn't trying to make Nico feel guilty, even if it did anyway.

"I know." He muttered.

**"Look . . . right now, we need to leave. I put the guards to sleep, but it won't last."**

"How did you do that?" Carlos asked.

Nico smirked. "I have my ways." The mortals were, grudgingly, believing that Nico might be more powerful than they originally thought.

**I wanted to strangle him again. Unfortunately, he was right. We didn't have time to argue, and I couldn't escape on my own. He pointed at the wall. A whole section vanished, revealing a corridor.**

Brett yelled, "Sweet!"

**"Come on.**

**I wished I had Annabeth's invisibility hat, but as it turned out, I didn't need it.**" Nico led the way.

"Invisibility hat?" Marisa asked with a skeptical look. Percy didn't answer. He knew it would come up eventually and wanted it to be a surprise.

**Every time we came to a skeleton guard, Nico just pointed at it, and its glowing eyes dimmed.**

"Can you do that with people?" Andrew asked and he seemed a little to excited at the idea.

"Sadly, no."

**Unfortunately, the more Nico did it, the more tired he seemed. We walked through a maze of corridors filled with guards. By the time we reached a kitchen staffed by skeletal cooks and servants, I was practically carrying Nico.**

Percy grumbled something. "You know your really heavy, right?" He asked, louder. Nico shrugged sheepishly.

**He managed to put all the dead to sleep but nearly passed out himself. I dragged him out of the servants' entrance and into the Fields of Asphodel.**

**I almost felt relieved until I heard the sound of bronze gongs high in the castle.**

**"Alarms," Nico murmured sleepily.**

"No shit Sherlock." Thalia said.

**"What do we do?"**

**He yawned then frowned like he was trying to remember. "How about . . . run?"**

"Great plan." Hailey said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Nico defended. "I was half-passed out. I'd like to see you come up with a better plan." Hailey didn't answer, seeing the son of Hades was right.

**Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a three-legged race with a life-size rag doll.**

"Sorry." A blushing Nico mumbled well everyone else laughed. Percy had weird, but funny descriptions.

**I lugged him along, holding my sword in front of me. The spirits of the dead made way like the Celestial bronze was a blazing fire.**

"Can you hurt the dead?" Marisa asked. Frankly, everyone was curious, including Thalia and Percy.

"It depends." Nico said with a shrug. "The souls that are banished to a life of punishment can get hurt but I don't think a spirits normally feel pain."

**The sound of gongs rolled across the fields. Ahead loomed the walls of Erebos, but the longer we walked, the farther away they seemed. I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I heard a familiar "WOOOOOF!"**

**Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere and ran circles around us, ready to play.**

"Perfect timing." Cara said. Finally something good happened.

**"Good girl.'" I said. "Can you give us a ride to the Styx?" The word Styx got her excited.**

Marisa's eyes widened. If they were going to the River Styx... No he couldn't be that stupid. Could he?

"Why would that get her excited?" A kid asked. Even for a hellhound that was kind of weird.

**She probably thought I meant sticks.**

"Oh."

**She jumped a few times, chased her tail just to teach it who was boss,**

This caused some laughter.

**and then calmed down enough for me to push Nico onto her back. I climb aboard, and she raced toward the gates. She leaped straight over the EZ-DEATH line, sending guards sprawling and causing more alarms to blare. Cerberus barked, but he sounded more excited than angry, like: Can I play too?**

"Poor Cerberus." Leila pouted. **(A/N Is it just me or do you think that Mrs. O'Leary and Cerberus are adorable? Just me? Okay...)**

**Fortunately, he didn't follow us, and Mrs. O'Leary kept running. She didn't stop until we were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.**

Now people were beginning to wonder what they could possibly be doing there.

**Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary's back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.**

**I took out a square of ambrosia-part of the emergency god-food I always kept with me.**

"You guys eat god-food?" Todd asked excitedly.

"Um I guess." Percy said.

"Is it good?"

"The best."

"But if you eat to much it will burn you to ashes." Thalia added with a smirk. "And it would burn mortals to ashes immediately.

"Oh."

**It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.**

**"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."**

**"Your powers drain you too much," I noted.**

"No duh." Nico muttered.

**He nodded sleepily. "With great power . . . comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."**

"There you have it folks." Thalia said in an announcers voice. "The great words of Nico di Angelo." Nico grumbled something and gave Thalia a glare . Everyone else was laughing.

**"Whoa, zombie dude." I caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."**

"What are you doing?" Cara asked narrowing her eyes at Percy nothing made sense.

"I'm not telling." Percy said with a shake of his head. You couldn't wait to see their faces.

**I fed him the last of my ambrosia, which was a little dangerous. The stuff can heal demigods, but it can also burn us to ashes if we eat too much.**

"Told you." Thalia said.

"No one disagreed with you, Thals." Nico told her.

**Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. Nico shook his head a few times and struggled to his feet.**

**"My father will be coming soon," he said. "We should hurry." The River Styx's current swirled with strange objects-broken toys, ripped-up college diplomas, wilted homecoming corsages-all the dreams people had thrown away as they'd passed from life into death. **

"Well that's depressing." Carlos said.

**Looking at the black water, I could think of about three million places I'd rather swim.**

Paul stopped reading, letting the class take that in. He already knew Percy was invincible. They had studied the Odyssey in class so he hoped the class knew what it would mean if Percy jumped in. It was a moment before anyone spoke.

"Your not serious." Marisa said finally her shocked expression matching her classmates.

Percy calmly replied. "I am. Now lets continue reading shall we?" The class, not fully believing he had gone through with it, said no more.

**"So . . . I just jump in?"**

The mortals (sans Paul) were still convinced he was going to back out.

**"You have to prepare yourself first," Nico said, "or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."**

"Sounds pleasant." A girl muttered. Only an insane person would go swimming in the Styx. But Percy could possibly qualified as insane.

**"Sounds fun," I muttered.**

**"This is no joke," Nico warned. "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to . . ."**

"Have to what!" Brett yelled. He was ignored.

**He glanced behind me and his eyes widened. I turned and found myself face-to-face with a Greek warrior.**

"Who could that be?" Carlos asked. Unlike the rest if his class, Carlos was certain Percy had gone in the river. No one answered Carlos.

**For a second I thought he was Ares, because this guy looked exactly like the god of war-tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair.**

"I don't think he would like to be mistaken for Ares." Nico said. No one else (minus Percy) knew who he was, although Thalia had an idea.

** He wore a white tunic and bronze armor. He held a plumed plumed war helm under his arm. But his eyes were human-pale green like a shallow sea-and a bloody arrow stuck out of his left calf, just above the ankle.**

Marisa's eyes widened as she realized who it was. Not that it was shocking he was there.

**I stunk at Greek names, but even I knew the greatest warrior of all time, who had died from a wounded heel.**

"Oh." Of course Achilles would be there. Probably try to convince him to back out. A few people still didn't get it, but kept quiet, not wanting to sound stupid.

**"Achilles," I said.**

Said people from before felt really stupid.

**The ghost nodded. "I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you." **

"Other one?" Marisa asked. How many people were jumping into the Styx? Is this what demigods did for fun. Her question went unanswered.

**"Luke? You spoke with Luke?"**

Marisa's eyes widened in understanding. "So that's why he was invincible on the ship!"

**"Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."**

"Isn't the curse supposed to help you win not lose?" Cara asked curiously.

Percy shrugged his shoulders not sure what to say. Nico answered. "It's called the Achilles curse isn't it?" Was all he said. Paul continued to read.

**"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."**

"Oh my gods Percy." Thalia said, face palming. "I never thought you were really that stupid." Percy glared at her, but she ignored it, pretending she didn't see.

"What?" A girl asked. "Seems like a reasonable idea to me."

"Exactly. That just proves my point. Mortals aren't very bright either."

The girl as well as most of the class looked offended and Paul started to read again, before a fight broke out.

**He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"**

Brett scoffed, "Sounds like one of those cheesy things they say at those fake hunted houses." It did seem very stereo-type and cheesy.

**He meant it. I could hear the regret and bitterness in his voice. He was honestly trying to save me from a terrible fate. **

"I still don't understand how being invincible is a bad thing." Carlos muttered under his breath.

**Then again, Luke had been here, and he hadn't turned back. That's why Luke had been able to host the spirit of Kronos without his body disintegrating.**

"Makes sense." Marisa said, almost to herself.

** This is how he'd prepared himself, and why he seemed impossible to kill. He had bathed in the River Styx and taken on the powers of the greatest mortal hero, Achilles. He was invincible.**

"Not fully invincible." Nico reminded everyone. Still the spot he chose would be hard to get to in battle.

**"I have to," I said. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."**

Thalia was about to tell him that it wasn't true but stopped herself when she realized if Percy had backed out, Kronos would be ruling the world.

** Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. **

"The gods are completely invulnerable." Todd interrupted. This caused his classmates to roll their eyes at him.

"The gods can get hurt." Nico said. "It's just that it heals quickly and doesn't damage anything. Plus it said man, and the gods aren't men."

"Oh."

**Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."**

**"**Well that's pleasant." Hailey muttered. "Only an insane person would go in there." She said that last part directed at Percy.

**"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?" **

"I don't think Achilles even knows." Nico said as a couple people rolled their eyes at Percy.

**He scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"**

"Such great encouragement." Leila muttered.

**With that happy thought, he vanished.**

**"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."**

"Really Nico?" Thalia cried. "You pester him and pester him and when he finally says yes you want to back out?" Nico didn't answer, just slunk lower in his seat.

**"This was your idea."**

**"I know, but now that we're here-"**

**"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me . . . Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all." **

"If you were trying to please me or something it didn't work." Nico mumbled.

**He didn't look pleased about that, but I didn't care.**

"Gee thanks."

**Before I could change my mind, I concentrated on ********************.**

Paul's brow furrowed as he stared at the line in confusion. Percy smirked. "I can't have you knowing my weak spot can I?" He asked innocently.

** It was well defended when I wore my armor. It would be hard to hit by accident, and few enemies would aim for it on purpose. No place was perfect, but this seemed right to me, and a lot more dignified than, like, my armpit or something. **

A couple people laughed at that but the demigods exchanged looks. That was where Luke's had been. Or at least around there.

**I pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting me to the world from *********. And I stepped into the river.**

Now for the first time it sank in. Percy really did go through with it. He was invincible. Their eyes were all wide.

"You're invincible?!" Carlos cried his face etched with shock and awe. Percy seemed uncomfortable and Thalia and Nico were both smirking, but before Percy could answer Jared stepped in.

"I bet you it's all a lie." Jared jeered. "A wimp like Jackson can't be invincible." Wrong thing to say. Nico and Thalia both became angry, Thalia had sparks flying off her hands. Percy stood up and was at Jared's desk before either could say anything. He was sick of Jared.

"Oh really." He asked his voice steel. Jared seemed to falter, but nodded confidently.

"Than punch me."

"Percy, get back-" Paul was cut off when Jared landed a hard punch on Percy's jaw. You could hear a crack. Everyone's eyes widened as Percy stood smirking at Jared who was doubled over clutching his fist that may or may not be broken. Thalia and Nico were laughing hysterically.

Without a word Percy walked smoothly back to his seat. The class was to stunned to say anything more on the topic and hesitantly continued.

**Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx. **

"Ouch." Someone murmured. They were all still in shock.

Percy grimaced. "Yeah. Ouch."

**I planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched my legs, my muscles turned to jelly and I fell face-first into the current.**

Everyone was laughing, although it seemed slightly strained. Thalia and Nico however were having laugh attacks clutching their sides. "Oh my gods really Kelp Head?" Thalia asked. Percy flushed and sent Thalia a glare.

**I submerged completely. For the first time in my life, I couldn't breathe underwater. I finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in my body burned. I was dissolving in the water.**

The class now became uneasy sending glances at Percy who ignored them.

** I saw faces-Rachel, Grover, Tyson, my mother-but they faded as soon as they appeared. **

**"Percy," my mom said. "I give you my blessing."**

**"Be safe, brother!" Tyson pleaded.**

**"Enchiladas!" **

"Grover." Thalia said with a shake of her head as most laughed.

**Grover said. I wasn't sure where that came from, but it didn't seem to help much.**

**I was losing the fight. The pain was too much. My hands and feet were melting into the water, my soul was being ripped from my body. I couldn't remember who I was. The pain of Kronos's scythe had been nothing compared to this.**

Paul was becoming worried, the class agitated. Thalia glared at Nico. You're lucky he's alive, she thought.

**The cord, a familiar voice said. Remember your lifeline, dummy!**

The mortals all became confused. What? Thalia and Nico both exchanged knowing looks. Percy blushed lightly, knowing what was about to come.

**Suddenly there was a tug in my ***********. **

Paul stopped for only a moment before realizing the stars meant his weak spot was mentioned there.

**The current pulled at me, but it wasn't carrying me away anymore. I imagined the string in my back keeping me tied to the shore.**

Thalia, as well as some others, felt herself un tense.

**"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily." The cord strengthened.**

A smile slipped across Samantha's face but she kept quiet. For now. Thalia and Nico were wiggling their eyebrows at Percy and giving him knowing looks. Percy's blush became deeper.

**I could see Annabeth now-standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I'd fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.**

Marisa's eyes widened at the mention of the invisibility hat, but anything she might have said was drowned out by Samantha's high-pitched, girly, very Aphrodite like scream.

"Oh my gods! You saw her in the river! That means, she's like, your mortal point!" A couple other girls shrieked too and Percy blushed a deep crimson red. Thalia and Nico both fell over each other in laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Percy grumbled. "Can we just read?"

Paul gave his step-son an amused smile before continuing.

**"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."**

Samantha shrieked again.

**Memories came flooding back to me-sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.**

Thalia and Nico both smirked. "Look its Annabeth saving your life again."

**Suddenly I burst out of the river. I collapsed on the sand, and Nico scrambled back in surprise.**

This time it was Percy and Thalia who snickered at a blushing Nico.

**"Are you okay?" he stammered. "Your skin. Oh, gods. You're hurt!" My arms were bright red. I felt like every inch of my body had been broiled over a slow flame. **

"At least you weren't burned to ashes." Brett said non too helpfully.

**I looked around for Annabeth, though I knew she wasn't here. **

Samantha squealed once more. It was getting annoying.

**It had seemed so real.**

**"I'm fine . . . I think." The color of my skin turned back to normal. The pain subsided. Mrs. O'Leary came up and sniffed me with concern. Apparently I smelled really interesting.**

"Maybe she wants to wants to eat you." Todd said and everyone looked at him weirdly**. **

**"Do you feel stronger?" Nico asked.**

**Before I could decide what I felt, a voice boomed, "THERE!" An army of the dead marched toward us. A hundred skeletal Roman legionnaires led the way with shields and spears. Behind them came an equal number of British redcoats with bayonets fixed. **

"Sounds scary." Carlos said in a small voice.

Percy nodded gravely. "It gets worse."

**In the middle of the host, Hades himself rode a black-and-gold chariot pulled by nightmare horses, their eyes and manes smoldering with fire.**

Everyone's eyes widened in fear. So far they hadn't become to respect the gods much, but now... Hades was scary, to put it simply.

**"You will not escape me this time, Percy Jackson!" Hades bellowed.**

**"Destroy him!"**

The mortals all shivered. How was he going to get out of this?

**"Father, no!" Nico shouted, but it was too late. The front line of Roman zombies lowered their spears and advanced.**

Thalia tensed.

**Mrs. O'Leary growled and got ready to pounce. Maybe that's what set me off. I didn't want them hurting my dog.**

At that a couple mortals turned to look at Percy with shock and admiration. They seemed to do that a lot. He was about to most likely be killed, and he was worried about his dog getting hurt. That was something they just couldn't understand. Nico and Thalia however would expect something like that. It was a Percy thing.

** Plus, I was tired of Hades being a big bully. **

"Only you," Nico said, "would describe The Lord of the Dead, as a big bully."

**If I was going to die, I might as well go down fighting.**

The class was shocked at how brave Percy was. They would never expect the dorky Percy to be a hero right from the history books.

**I yelled, and the River Styx exploded. A black tidal wave smashed into the legionnaires. **

Even Thalia was impressed. And shocked. She knew he could control water, but from the River Styx? Crazy. It just proved how powerful he was.

**Spears and shields flew everywhere. Roman zombies began to dissolve, smoke coming off their bronze helmets. The redcoats lowered their bayonets, but I didn't wait for them. I charged.**

Most of the class already held Percy in high respect and knew he was an amazing fighter and extremely powerful, but charging at an army of the undead was crazy, even for him.

**It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. **

"At least you agree." Leila said with eyes wide.

**A hundred muskets fired at me, point blank. All of them missed. **

"Coincidence?" A shocked classmate asked.

Nico just shook his head. "There are no coincidences in the demigod world."

**I crashed into their line and started hacking with Riptide. Bayonets jabbed. Swords slashed. Guns reloaded and fired. Nothing touched me.**

If they were shocked before, Percy didn't have a word for what they were now. He wanted to burst out laughing at their expressions but held himself back. I know shocking. Did he mention that he hated this book? Because he did. More than any other book which was saying something.

**I whirled through the ranks, slashing redcoats to dust, one after the other. **

Everyone was holding their breaths, the same shocked, hilarious expressions on their faces.

**My mind went on autopilot: stab, dodge, cut, deflect, roll. Riptide was no longer a sword. It was an arc of pure destruction. **

"You got that right." Nico mumbled. The class was happy they had never seen this side of Percy.

**I broke through the enemy line and leaped into the black chariot. Hades raised his staff. A bolt of dark energy shot toward me, but I deflected it off my blade and slammed into him. The god and I both tumbled out of the chariot.**

Thalia smirked at Percy, breaking through the tension. "Is pissing off gods a hobby of yours?" She asked.

"Seems so."

**The next thing I knew, my knee was planted on Hades's chest. I was holding the collar of his royal robes in one fist, and the tip of my sword was poised right over his face.**

If it was possible they were even more shocked. Some people had mouths hanging open. No way in Hades could Percy do that. Defeat a god. But he did. They had no idea what say about that, so they just kept quiet with those funny faces.

**Silence. The army did nothing to defend their master. I glanced back and realized why. There was nothing left of them but weapons in the sand and piles of smoking, empty uniforms. I had destroyed them all.**

This time, Percy couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. Their faces were just so funny! Seeing Percy was laughing at them, the mortals tried to recover, butfailed miserably. I mean... It was just too crazy! Paul started to read again when Percy calmed down. Paul had a proud smile on his face.

**Hades swallowed. "Now, Jackson, listen here. . . ." He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded. I knew that firsthand, and I figured a sword in the face wouldn't feel too good**

They were still too shocked to comment.

**"Just because I'm a nice person," I snarled, "I'll let you go. But first, tell me about that trap!"**

"He won't." Nico said simply.

**Hades melted into nothing, leaving me holding empty black robes. **

"Of course." Marisa said absent mind-idly. "No reason to stick around."

**I cursed and got to my feet, breathing heavily. Now that the danger was over, I realized how tired I was. Every muscle in my body ached. I looked down at my clothes. They were slashed to pieces and full of bullet holes, but I was fine. **

"Wow." Was all they could come up with.

**Not a mark on me. Nico's mouth hung open. "You just . . . with a sword . . . you just-"**

"See!" Hailey said in the mortals defense. "We weren't the only ones shocked!" Nico blushed.

**"I think the river thing worked," I said.**

"No shit Sherlock." Cara said. She was still in slight shock.

**"Oh gee," he said sarcastically. "You think?" Mrs. O'Leary barked happily and wagged her tail. She bounded around, sniffing empty uniforms and hunting for bones. I lifted Hades's robe. I could still see the tormented faces shimmering in the fabric.**

"That is the worst punishment ever!" Samantha exclaimed.

**I walked to the edge of the river. "Be free." **

A lot of people turned around to give Percy weird look. Nico and Thalia face palmed. "Really?" Nico asked. Percy didn't answer.

**I dropped the robe in the water and watched as it swirled away, dissolving in the current.**

"So," Carlos said. "Does he have to get a new robe now or what..."

The three demigods looked at each other. None knew. Nico told him he didn't know. And he didn't want to think about it.

**"Go back to your father," I told Nico. "Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what's going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help."**

"I can't believe you made me do that." Nico grumbled. "He was pissed!"

Percy shrugged. "It's a good thing I did."

**Nico stared at me. "I . . . I can't. He'll hate me now. I mean . . . even more."**

"You owe him." Leila pointed out and Nico blushed.

**"You have to," I said. "You owe me too." **

Leila blushed.

**His ears turned red. "Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please . . . let me come with you. I want to fight."**

**"You'll be more help down here."**

"Ohhhh." Brett said.

"Shut up." Hailey said and smacked him.

**"You mean you don't trust me anymore," he said miserably. I didn't answer. I didn't know what I meant. **

**"**Sorry man." Percy said looking at Nico. Nico looked away. He still felt horrible.

**I was too stunned by what I'd just done in battle to think clearly.**

"That was sick!" Brett yelled and pretty much everyone agreed making Percy blush beet red.

**"Just go back to your father," I said, trying not to sound too harsh.**

**"Work on him. You're the only person who might be able to get him to listen."**

"That's a depressing thought." Todd said.

**"That's a depressing thought." Nico sighed. **

Todd and Nico both blushed, well some people snickered.

**"All right. I'll do my best. Besides, he's still hiding something from me about my mom. Maybe I can find out what."**

"Did you?" Nico kept quiet**. **

**"Good luck. Now Mrs. O'Leary and I have to go."**

**"Where?" Nico said. **

**I looked at the cave entrance and thought **

**about the long climb back to the world of the living. **

"Really?" Thalia asked. "That's what your thinking about? You should get in shape." Percy glared.

**"To get this war started. It's time I found Luke."**

**I feel soo bad. You guys keep asking for gods and i never do. I swear though, there will be a god\goddes next chapter! because of this though it will take longer to write. **

**If you have not read the gone series by Michael Grant, you should read it right now! The last book in the series came out tuesday, so thats another reason i couldnt update because i was reading it. It was amazing! **

**Whats your favorite sport?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is an update to all my lovely readers! I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. I was really stuck on it and it was just really awkward to right. Sorry if the gods are OOC. Sorry. Here's your chapter!**

I was walking to school with my arm around Annabeth's waist, when he showed up. Annabeth had agreed to come to English with me today, which made me happy. It always seemed better when she was there with me.

Anyway we were still several blocks from school when we bumped into the god of travel. He was wearing a jogging suit, with one of those phone things that clip on your ear. The first thing I noticed though were his hands. They were constantly moving about; smoothing his clothes, shoving his hands in his picket then pulling them out, running fingers through his hair, like he wasn't sure what to do with them. Percy knew immediately what was wrong. This wouldn't be the first time it happened.

"Lord Hermes." Annabeth said, surprise evident in her voice. We each gave small bows.

"Uh, hey Percy, Annabeth." Hermes greeted. "Uh listen I have a favor to ask you." He said uncomfortably, looking around as though he was afraid someone would overhear the conversation. Like a mortal, Mist or no Mist, would give the trio a second glance.

"Your caduceus is missing and you want us to find it." Percy said asking the question Hermes had been about.

"Uh yeah." Hermes said sheepishly. "So will you help me out? Know can find out." He asked pleadingly. I was about to say yes, I mean it was a no brainer. Go on an awesome adventure or sit in a stuffy, boring classroom all day? The choice was obvious, but apparently Annabeth had other plans.

"Sorry Hermes." Annabeth spoke up. "But we have school." I gave Annabeth a look that clearly said, 'What are you doing?!' Annabeth pretended she didn't she it.

"Since when do you two go to the same school?" Hermes asked. I wondered how he knew that, but then I shrugged it off. He was the god of messages, after all.

"We don't." Annabeth said as a smirk grew across her face that I did not like. "But I'm going to English with him, to read about the Titan war in his perspective."

"Sweet." Hermes said. "I'll be there." And before I could argue, he flashed out.

When we arrived at Goode Hermes was there, waiting. He wasn't alone though. No, he had brought Apollo with him. Great.

"Ready?" Hermes asked. Apollo grinned in greeting.

"Um, not to be rude, but don't you have things to do? A caduceus to find?" I asked.

Hermes waved it away. "I'll do it later." And with a helpless look to Annabeth, we walked through the doors of Goode.

I walked into into the classroom to find everyone already there, milling around and talking. He cursed. Why was he always last to get here? Percy tried to sneak into the back of the classroom, but Paul caught him. "Who are your friends, Percy?" The classroom immediately. Became silent. Percy always brought the most exciting people.

"Um, you guys know Annabeth," he gestured to her. "And this-" Percy was cut off by Apollo.

"I am Apollo the most awesomest sun god ever."

"And I am Hermes god of messages and thieves." Hermes said with a mischievous grin gracing his features.

The mortals were shocked at first, frozen in place, eyes wide, mouths hanging open. Then they fell to there knees, bowing down at the feet of the gods. Even Jared.

"Look at that, Apollo." Hermes cried. "The mortals are bowing! How nice." Percy rolled his eyes.

"You can get up now." He told them, beckoning for them to rise. After a moment they did, shock and fear evident on there faces. They stood completely still.

"I feel a haiku coming on!" Apollo said. Annabeth and Percy both groaned.

"I come read a book,

Mortals bow down to sun god,

I am so awesome."

The class was shocked, even more so if that was possible. How could the god of poetry be so bad at it? They kept their mouths clamped shut though, as Percy led them to the back of the classroom. Percy knew this was going to be a very long day. After a moment Paul began to read, wary of the gods sitting just yards away.

**I love New York. **

**"**You sound like some cheesy tourist." Brett said. Like everyone else, he kept sneaking glances at the two gods in the back of the room.

**You can pop out of the Underworld in Central Park, hail a taxi, head down Fifth Avenue with a giant hellhound loping along behind you, and nobody even looks at you funny. **

"Wow." Hermes said. "You mortals are very dense." None of the mortals dared to protest against the god.

**Of course, the Mist helped. People probably couldn't see Mrs. O'Leary, or maybe they thought she was a large, loud, very friendly truck.**

"Once people saw her as a poodle." Percy added, noticing his classmates faces as they tried to figure out how they could have been so oblivious.

"A poodle?" Todd asked in disbelief. "Mrs. O'Leary? That humongous hellhound, a poodle. How?"

Percy shrugged. "You should be asking yourself that."

**I took the risk of using my mom's cell phone to call Annabeth for the second time.**

"I still don't understand how demigods live without cell phones." Hermes said. "I mean even the gods use them." That if course shocked the mortals. The gods used cellphones? Weird.

"I have a cellphone." Annabeth defended.

"Yeah but you don't use it, only for emergencies." Percy argued back. Annabeth kept quiet after that and linked her hand with Percy's.

** I'd called her once from the runnel but only reached her voice mail. **

"Tsk, tsk, Annabeth." Apollo said. "Always keep your phone on."

"Do you know how many monsters that would attract!?" Annabeth asked with a scandalous expression.

"But if your phone is always off, how are people supposed to call you for emergencies?" Percy asked innocently. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned away from Percy making him pout.

**I'd gotten surprisingly good reception, seeing as I was at the mythological center of the world and all, but I didn't want to see what my mom's roaming charges were going to be. **

"That's going to cause some problems." Hermes said.

**This time, Annabeth picked up.**

"See." Annabeth scoffed. "My phone isn't always off."

**"Hey," I said. "You get my message?"**

**"Percy, where have you been? Your message said almost nothing! We've been worried sick!"**

Apollo shook his head in disapproval. "That is one of the worst things you can do when it comes to woman." Percy and Annabeth both blushed.

**"I'll fill you in later," I said, though how I was going to do that I had no idea. **

"You didn't do a good job explaining." Annabeth glared.

**"Where are you?"**

**"We're on our way like you asked, almost to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. But, Percy, what are you planning? We've left the camp virtually undefended, and there's no way the gods-"**

**"**The gods can't what, daughter of Athena?" Hermes asked, turning toward Annabeth.

"Don't you know the gods can do anything?" Apollo added.

"Erm, nothing lords." Annabeth stammered. It was a good thing the two gods didn't press the subject, mostly because they didn't care.

**"Trust me," I said. "I'll see you there." I hung up. My hands were trembling. I wasn't sure if it was a leftover reaction from my dip in the Styx, or anticipation of what I was about to do.**

The mortals looked confused. What was he going to do now? Enough of the crazy plans! He just bathed in the River Styx. Annabeth knew though, that Percy's crazy plans would never come to an end.

** If this didn't work, being invulnerable wasn't going to save me from getting blasted to bits.**

Okay, Marisa reasoned. A god or goddess is probably involved. Hermes looked sheepish. He had a feeling he wouldn't like this chapter. Annabeth was glaring at Percy. She never thought, his thoughts could be so depressing.

**It was late afternoon when the taxi dropped me at the Empire State Building. Mrs. O'Leary bounded up and down Fifth Avenue, licking cabs and sniffing hot dog carts. **

This caused laughter imagining Mrs. O'Leary doing just this. Hermes and Apollo were also laughing and all the mortals including Paul looked at them with shock. Gods... Laughed? The gods didn't seem to noticed the looks of shock, but even if they did it probably wouldn't matter to them.

**Nobody seemed to notice her, although people did swerve away and look confused when she came close. **

Hermes and Apollo both found that hilarious. "Mortals. Got to love them." Apollo said still laughing.

**I whistled for her to heel as three white vans pulled up to the curb. They said Delphi Strawberry Service, which was the cover name for Camp Half-Blood.**

"I've seen those vans around before." Hailey said. "But I never thought..."

"Exactly." Annabeth said. "There supposed to be undercover."

** I'd never seen all three vans in the same place at once, though I knew they shuttled our fresh produce into the city.**

**"**You really sell stuff?" Carlos asked in confusion.

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks. "How else do you think we pay for everything?"

No one answered they had all assumed that the gods just gave them whatever they needed with their magic powers and such.

** The first van was driven by Argus, our many-eyed security chief. **

**"**Many eyed?" Todd asked. He asked the question like he knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"He has eyes everywhere." Percy replied. "There's a rumor that he has one on his tongue."

"That rumor is true." Hermes added. No one questioned him. As the god of messages he must have his sources, forever in the loop of latest gossip and news.

**The other two were driven by harpies, who are basically demonic human/chicken hybrids with bad attitudes. **

"Really, Percy?" Annabeth said with a teasing smile. "Thats how you think of the harpies? I shudder to think how you think about other things."

"No way." Apollo told Percy. "Your descriptions are awesome." He gave Percy a high five.

This left the mortals shocked. Who knew the gods could be so immature? Not that anyone would ever say that out loud. They would probably get blasted to bits. Even the laid back gods had their moods, which they were about to find out.

**We used the harpies mostly for cleaning the camp, but they did pretty well in midtown traffic too.**

**"**I would think the harpies would eat demigods." Marisa said.

Percy shook his head. "Not really their style."

"If you're out after curfew they'll eat you though." Annabeth corrected. The mortals went wide eyed. And they thought their parents were tough about curfew.

**The doors slid open. A bunch of campers climbed out, some of them looking a little green from the long drive. I was glad so many had come: Pollux, Silena Beauregard, the Stoll brothers, Michael Yew, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, and Annabeth, along with most of their siblings. Chiron came out of the van last. His horse half was compacted into his magic wheelchair, so he used the handicap lift. **

"That is so cool!" Brett yelled.

Hermes nodded. "Made by Hephaestus himself."

**The Ares cabin wasn't here, but I tried not to get too angry about that. **

"How are you supposed to win a war without the god of wars children?" Marisa asked. Percy and Annabeth both grimaced but chose not to answer.

**Clarisse was a stubborn idiot. End of story.**

**"**Not sure Ares would like to hear you say that about his favorite daughter." Apollo said, with a wink at Percy.

**I did a head count: forty campers in all.**

"How are you going to fight with forty campers against a whole army of monsters?" Marisa asked.

Annabeth bristled and glared. "Don't underestimate us." She snapped. "What were we supposed to do? Sit back and watch Kronos take over? And we got back up, eventually." Marisa kept quiet after that, and Percy put a comforting arm around a tense Annabeth.

**Not many to fight a war, but it was still the largest group of half-bloods I'd ever seen gathered in one place outside camp. Everyone looked nervous, and I understood why. We were probably sending out so much demigod aura that every monster in the northeastern United States knew we were here.**

**"**Well that's not going to help you in a war against other monsters." Marisa said snootily.

This blew Annabeth off. "What were we supposed to do?! Do you have a better plan?!" She yelled glaring. Why couldn't the stupid mortal appreciate that they fought for them despite everything.

It took a while, but eventually Percy was able to calm Annabeth down with soothing words. Samantha was cooing softly at the couple.

**As I looked at their faces-all these campers I'd known for so many summers-a nagging voice whispered in my mind: One of them is a spy.**

Immediately the whole room tensed. Percy and Annabeth had sad looks on their faces. The silence was broken by Apollo. "Dun dun dun."

**But I couldn't dwell on that. They were my friends. I needed them. Then I remembered Kronos's evil smile. You can't count on friends. They will always let you down.**

"That's not true." Leila snapped.

**Annabeth came up to me. She was dressed in black camouflage with her Celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and her laptop bag slung over her shoulder-ready for stabbing or surfing the Internet, whichever came first. **

**"**Why would you bring a laptop to war with you?" Hailey asked.

"It's Daedalus's laptop." Annabeth snapped. "It has a million ideas in it that could help us win the war."

"Plus laptops are awesome." Hermes added. Of course the god who invented the Internet would say that.

**She frowned. "What is it?"**

**"What's what?" I asked.**

**"You're looking at me funny."**

"Ooh." Samantha said making Percy and Annabeth blush red.

**I realized I was thinking about my strange vision of Annabeth pulling me out of the Styx River. **

This made the two demigods blush more.

**"It's, uh, nothing." I turned to the rest of the group. "Thanks for coming, everybody. Chiron, after you."**

**My old mentor shook his head. "I came to wish you luck, my boy. But I make it a point never to visit Olympus unless I am summoned."**

Hermes and Apollo pouted. "He should come more often. And bring his awesome cousins with him."

**"But you're our leader."**

Annabeth smiled at Percy. He was their leader.

**He smiled. "I am your trainer, your teacher. That is not the same as being your leader. I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother centaurs to help. Meanwhile, you called the campers here, Percy. You are the leader."**

A couple of the mortals cast glances at Percy but none were surprised. I mean he was kick-but, even for demigod standards. Hermes and Apollo whooped.

** I wanted to protest, but everybody was looking at me expectantly, even Annabeth.**

Annabeth glared. "Don't expect it to happen often."

Percy gave her his signature smile that always made her heart thump faster. "I won't."

**I took a deep breath. "Okay, like I told Annabeth on the phone, something bad is going to happen by tonight. Some kind of trap. We've got to get an audience with Zeus and convince him to defend the city. Remember, we can't take no for an answer."**

Hermes grimaced slightly.

** I asked Argus to watch Mrs. O'Leary, which neither of them looked happy about. **

**Chiron shook my hand. "You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses."**

"It's like he knows." Todd said in an eery voice.

"Hey." Apollo said in a dignified voice. "Must I remind you who the god of prophecy is?"

"N-no lord." Todd said. Apollo looked very pleased at being called lord.

**It sounded eerily close to what Achilles had told me. Then I remembered Chiron had taught Achilles. That didn't exactly reassure me, but I nodded and tried to give him a confident smile.**

**"Let's go," I told the campers.**

**A security guard was sitting behind the desk in the lobby, reading a big black book with a flower on the cover. He glanced up when we all filed in with our weapons and armor clanking. "School group? We're about to close up."**

"School group?" Cara asked in disbelief. "What kind of school groups carry around weapons?"

"An awesome one!" Brett cheered.

Ignoring Brett Anabeth answered. "The mist would cover it up."

Before Paul could continue reading Marisa asked. "Where are you guys?"

Percy responded with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Empire State building."

The mortals were confused. Why would they go there?" Hermes and Apollo were smiling. Home sweet home.

**"No," I said. "Six-hundredth floor." **

"There is no six-hundredth floor!" Marisa cried in disbelief. Her classmates nodded and shouted in agreement, but their was doubt on their face and in their voice.

"Or is there?" Percy said mysteriously, then gestured for Paul to read.

**He checked us out. His eyes were pale blue and his head was completely bald. I couldn't tell if he was human or not, but he seemed to notice our weapons, so I guess he wasn't fooled by the Mist.**

"No one is anymore." Annabeth grumbled. She hated that a lot.

**"There is no six-hundredth floor, kid." **

"Exactly!" A kid cried.

**He said it like it was a required line he didn't believe. "Move along." I leaned across the desk. "Forty demigods attract an awful lot of monsters. You really want us hanging out in your lobby?" He thought about that. Then he hit a buzzer and the security gate swung open. "Make it quick."**

The mortals were all shocked, yet none knew what to say. What was up there? How could they not know about a six-hundredth floor?

**"You don't want us going through the metal detectors," I added.**

"Probably not." Cara agreed.

**"Um, no," he agreed. "Elevator on the right. I guess you know the way**."

"I do know the way." Percy said with a smirk.

**I tossed him a golden drachma and we marched ill rough. We decided it would take two trips to get everybody up in the elevator. I went with the first group. Different elevator music was playing since my last visit-that old disco song "Stayin' Alive." **

**"**Ugh." Samantha said. "They need better elevated music."

Apollo nodded, making a note of that. He was the god of music, after all. It was his job.

**A terrifying image flashed through my mind of Apollo in bell-bottom pants and a slinky silk shirt. **

The mortals all snuck looks at a blushing Apollo. None of them laughed, in fear of offending the god, unlike Hermes who was about to fall if his seat from laughing so hard. Paul continued to read hurriedly.

**I was glad when the elevator doors finally dinged open. In front of us, a path of floating stones led through the clouds up to Mount Olympus, hovering six thousand feet over Manhattan. **

Th mortals (sans Paul who already knew about that) all went wide eyed and some jaws dropped.

"Mount Olympus can not be up there." Marisa stuttered. "I mean we would see it and it just can't be." She cried.

"But it is. It moved with the gods." Percy said smirking.

"That's so cool!" Brett yelled. "So if I go to the Empire State Building and ask for the six-hundredth floor, I can got to Olympus?"

"No." Hermes said. "After the Mist disappeared, we got better security. We don't need mortals crashing our party."

"Awe." Brett complained. His peers were still trying to wrap there minds around the fact that Olympus was above the Empire State Building.

**I'd seen Olympus several times, but it still took my breath away. The mansions glittered gold and white against the sides of the mountain. Gardens bloomed on a hundred terraces. Scented smoke rose from braziers that lined the winding streets. And right at the top of the snow-capped crest rose the main palace of the gods. It looked as majestic as ever, but something seemed wrong.**

"What could be wrong with a place like that?" A girl asked, eyed filled with awe. Oh, how pretty that must be.

** Then I realized the mountain was silent-no music, no voices, no laughter.**

"Everyone has fled." Marisa said in realization.

**Annabeth studied me. "You look . . . different," she decided. "Where exactly did you go?" **

"Oh just bathed in the River Styx." Annabeth said dryly, under her breath. Percy didn't hear.

**The elevator doors opened again, and the second group of halfbloods joined us.**

**"Tell you later," I said. "Come on." We made our way across the sky bridge into the streets of Olympus. The shops were closed. The parks were empty. A couple of Muses sat on a bench strumming flaming lyres, but their hearts didn't seem to be in it. A lone Cyclops swept the street with an uprooted oak tree. A minor godling spotted us from a balcony and ducked inside, closing his shutters.**

"Seems depressing." Leila frowned.

"It's usually not like that." Apollo frowned. "We were at war at the time, though, so that explains it."

**We passed under a big marble archway with statues of Zeus and Hera on either side. Annabeth made a face at the queen of the gods. **

**"Hate her," she muttered.**

"Don't you know it's rude to hate you grandmother?" Hermes scolded. Annabeth scowled.

"She's not my grandmother." Annabeth retorted. The mortals wondered why the daughter of Athena hated Hera.

**"Has she been cursing you or something?" I asked. Last year Annabeth had gotten on Hera's bad side, but Annabeth hadn't really talked about it since.**

"It's not good to get on Hera's bad side." Apollo said, unhelpfully. He was reminded of the Trojan war and many other unpleasant occasions.

**"Just little stuff so far," she said. "Her sacred animal is the cow, right?"**

They wondered what Annabeth was getting at.

**"Right."**

**"So she sends cows after me."**

"Cows?" Apollo asked the daughter of Athena. She scowled again and looked away. She wanted to strangle Hera. The class was looking at Annabeth with amused looks.

**I tried not to smile. "Cows? In San Francisco?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Usually I don't see them, but the cows leave me little presents all over the place-in our backyard, on the sidewalk, in the school hallways. I have to be careful where I step."**

The class cracked up. Especially Hermes and Apollo. "Seems like Hera's style!" Apollo laughed. Percy was cracking up, too. It was still funny. Annabeth's scowl deepened. "It's not funny!" Annabeth said with a glare at Percy.

"Yes it is, wise girl." Percy said with a teasing smile at Annabeth. She turned away and Paul continued reading after quieting the class down.

**"Look!" Pollux cried, pointing toward the horizon. "What is that?" We all froze. Blue lights were streaking across the evening sky toward Olympus like tiny comets. They seemed to be coming from all over the city, heading straight toward the mountain. As they got close, they fizzled out. We watched them for several minutes and they didn't seem to do any damage, but still it was strange.**

What? Was what mist of the class was thinking.

**"Like infrared scopes," Michael Yew muttered. "We're being targeted."**

**"**Oh it's not targeting you." Hermes said, in what was supposed to be a reassuring voice.

**"Let's get to the palace," I said.**

**No one was guarding the hall of the gods. **

Some mortals raised eyebrows. Wouldn't it have very high tech, impossible to get past, security?

**The gold-and-silver doors stood wide open. Our footsteps echoed as we walked into the throne room.**

**Of course, "room" doesn't really cover it. The place was the size of Madison Square Garden. High above, the blue ceiling glittered with constellations. Twelve giant empty thrones stood in a U around a hearth. **

"Sweet!"

**In one corner, a house-size globe of water hovered in the air, and inside swam my old friend the Ophiotaurus, half-cow, halfserpent. **

"What's that?" A boy asked.

"It's a half bull, half serpent and its entrails if burned, gave the power to who ever slain the power to defeat the gods." Annabeth said in a I know everything voice. The mortals were wondering why the gods would want something with that power around, but kept quiet.

**"Moooo!" he said happily, turning in a circle. **

Some laughs rose up.

**Despite all the serious stuff going on, I had to smile. Two years ago we'd spent a lot of time trying to save the Ophiotaurus from the Titans, and I'd gotten kind of fond of him. He seemed to like me too, even though I'd originally thought he was a girl and named him Bessie.**

"Only you." Liam said with a smirk at Percy.

**"Hey, man," I said. "They treating you okay?"**

**"Mooo," Bessie answered**

"Seems like a good answer." Brett said.

**"****We walked toward the thrones, and a** **woman's voice said, "Hello again, Percy Jackson. You and your friends are welcome." Hestia stood by the hearth, poking the flames with a stick. She wore the same kind of simple brown dress as she had before, but she was a grown woman now.**

The mortals didn't question that. They knew now that gods could change form to be in any form they pleased.

**I bowed. "Lady Hestia."**

**My friends followed my example.**

**Hestia regarded me with her red glowing eyes. "I see you went through with your plan. You bear the curse of Achilles." The other campers started muttering among themselves: What did she say? What about Achilles?**

**"You must be careful," Hestia warned me. "You gained much on your journey. But you are still blind to the most important truth. Perhaps a glimpse is in order."**

"Well that doesn't sound good." Leila said with curiosity in her voice. What kind of glimpse?

**Annabeth nudged me. "Um . . . what is she talking about?" I stared into Hestia's eyes, and an image rushed into my mind: I saw a dark alley between red brick warehouses. A sign above one of the doors read RICHMOND IRONWORKS.**

Annabeth's eyes widened. Memories, painful memories, came rushing back. So this is what Hestia showed Percy. He had never told her. Sensing her mood Percy gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. It didn't help much, but it was nice to know he was there. Percy had never betrayed her.

**Two half-bloods crouched in the shadows-a boy about fourteen and a girl about twelve. I realized with a start that the boy was Luke. The girl was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. **

Hermes grimaced at the mention of his once most favorite son.

The mortals were all shocked. They had met Thalia on more than one occasion, and knew who Luke was from the book; the villain. What they had not known was that Thalia and Luke had a past. They leaned forward, eager to know more.

**I was seeing a scene from back in the days when they were on the run, before Grover found them. **

So they explains it, Marisa thought. I wonder when Luke turned evil?

**Luke carried a bronze knife. Thalia had her spear and shield of terror, Aegis. Luke and Thalia both looked hungry and lean, with wild animal eyes, like they were used to being attacked.**

Leila shivered, feeling sorry for them. What a horrible way to live. Many others shared her unspoken opinion.

"**Are you sure?" Thalia asked.**

**Luke nodded. "Something down here. I sense it." A rumble echoed from the alley, like someone had banged on a sheet of metal. The half-bloods crept forward.**

The mortals leaned forward curious to what was there. A monster? Annabeth wasn't paying attention anymore, stuck in old memories.

**Old crates were stacked on a loading dock. Thalia and Luke approached with their weapons ready. A curtain of corrugated tin quivered as if something were behind it.**

Annabeth tuned back into reality, tense and alert. Oh how she didn't want to be here.

**Thalia glanced at Luke. He counted silently: One, two, three! He ripped away the tin, and a little girl flew at him with a hammer.**

Percy smiled at Annabeth. Even as a little girl, Annabeth was deadly. Annabeth did not return the smile.

**"Whoa!" Luke said.**

**The girl had tangled blond hair and was wearing flannel pajamas. She couldn't have been more than seven, but she would've brained Luke if he hadn't been so fast.**

"Whoa." Andrew said. "I like her. Deadly seven year old girls with hammers." No one realized that the girl was Annabeth.

**He grabbed her wrist, and the hammer skittered across the cement. The little girl fought and kicked. "No more monsters! Go away!"**

**"It's okay!" Luke struggled to hold her. "Thalia, put your shield up. You're scaring her."**

**Thalia tapped Aegis, and it shrank into a silver bracelet. "Hey, it's all right," she said. "We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke."**

**"Monsters!"**

"Now I know Thalia's bad, but I think calling her a monster is a little too far." Percy smirked.

**"No," Luke promised. "But we know all **

**about monsters. We fight them too."**

**Slowly, the girl stopped kicking. She studied Luke and Thalia with large intelligent gray eyes.**

Marisa cast a look at Annabeth. It had to be her in the vision.

**"You're like me?" she said suspiciously.**

**"Yeah," Luke said. "We're . . . well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family?"**

**"My family hates me," the girl said. "They don't want me. I ran away."**

Most of the kids eyes soften. She was only seven... Annabeth was glad they didn't know it was her. She didn't want there pity.

**Thalia and Luke locked eyes. I knew they both related to what she was saying.**

**"What's your name, kiddo?" Thalia asked.**

**"Annabeth."**

The class turned to Annabeth with raised eyebrows. Her face was emotionless, like stone and they knew Annabeth wouldn't offer up anything. Even the most obnoxious kids kept quiet.

**Luke smiled. "Nice name. I tell you what, Annabeth-you're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."**

**Annabeth's eyes widened. "You could?"**

**"Oh, yeah." Luke turned his knife and offered her the handle.**

**"How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer."**

"Is it smart to give a little girl a deadly weapon?" Cara asked questionably.

Annabeth crossed her arms. "We'll I needed to defend myself somehow." She argued.

**Maybe under most circumstances, offering a seven-year-old kid a knife would not be a good idea, but when you're a half-blood, regular rules kind of go out the window.**

"Seems like my kind of life." Brett said, but it was in a joking voice. No way did he want to be a half-blood. Ouch.

**Annabeth gripped the hilt.**

**"Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters," Luke explained. "They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever."**

**Annabeth stared at him with adoration. "I am!" **

Annabeth scowled as a couple people turned to her with amused looks. Percy tried to calm her down but she was tense like a bow string.

**Thalia grinned. "We'd better get going, Annabeth. We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food."**

**"You're . . . you're not going to take me back to my family?" she said. "Promise?"**

**Luke put his hand on her shoulder. "You're part of our family now. And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?"**

**"Deal!" Annabeth said happily.**

Annabeth felt like crying. She didn't want to be reminded that he had broken that promise. How much it had hurt. Percy whispered soothing words to her and she calmed down slightly. Luke was gone now. It was her and Percy now.

"**Now, come on," Thalia said. "We can't stay put for long!" The scene shifted. The three demigods were running through the woods. It must've been several days later, maybe even weeks. All of them looked beat up, like they'd seen some battles. **

Annabeth grimaced remembering her horrible time on the run. Yet in some ways they had been the best times.

**Annabeth was wearing new clothes-jeans and an oversize army jacket.**

**"Just a little farther!" Luke promised. Annabeth stumbled, and he took her hand. Thalia brought up the rear, brandishing her shield like she was driving back whatever pursued them. She was limping on her left leg.**

Annabeth had closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head from side to side as if that would make the bad memories go away.

**They scrambled to a ridge and looked down the other side at a white Colonial house-May Castellan's place.**

**"All right," Luke said, breathing hard. "I'll just sneak in and grab some food and medicine. Wait here."**

**"Luke, are you sure?" Thalia asked.**

**"You swore you'd never come back here. If she catches you-"**

**"We don't have a choice!" he growled. "They burned our nearest safe house. And you've got to treat that leg wound."**

**"This is your house?" Annabeth said with amazement.**

**"It was my house," Luke muttered. "Believe me, if it wasn't an emergency-"**

**"Is your mom really horrible?" Annabeth asked. "Can we see her?"**

**"No!" Luke snapped.**

**Annabeth shrank away from him as though his anger surprised her. **

**"I . . . I'm sorry," he said. "Just wait here. I promise everything will be okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'll be back-" A brilliant golden flash illuminated the woods. The demigods winced, and a man's voiceboomed: "You should not have come home."**

**The vision shut off. **

The class let at a breath they didn't know they had been holding. Percy was surprised they knew how to be quiet for so long. Annabeth's eyes were cloudy and unfocused, recalling memories. Percy whispered some more soothing words to Annabeth until her eyes became focused again. She buried her head in her hands and Percy knew there was nothing he could do to comfort her. Paul continued reading.

**My knees buckled, but Annabeth grabbed me. "Percy! What happened?"**

**"Did . . . did you see that?" I asked.**

**"See what?"**

"I'm glad I didn't." Annabeth muttered under her breath.

**I glanced at Hestia, but the goddess's face was expressionless. I remembered something she'd told me in the woods: If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family. But why had she shown me those scenes? **

Marisa pondered the question but came up empty. What would be gained from showing Percy the vision?

**"How long was I out?" I muttered.**

**Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "Percy, you weren't out at all. You just looked at Hestia for like one second and collapsed." I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I couldn't afford to look weak. Whatever those visions meant, I had to stay focused on our mission.**

**"Um, Lady Hestia," I said, "we've come on urgent business. We need to see-"**

**"We know what you need," a man's voice said. I shuddered, because it was the same voice I'd heard in the vision. **

Hermes tensed and grimaced some more. He was regretting his decision to come read the chapter, knowing what was coming up.

**A god shimmered into existence next to Hestia. He looked about twenty-five, with curly salt-and-pepper hair and elfish features. He wore a military pilot's flight suit, with tiny bird's wings fluttering on his helmet and his black leather boots. In the crook of his arm was a long staff entwined with two living serpents.**

"It's you!" Brett said, looking back at the god mentioned above. Hermes only nodded.

"Where is it?" Marisa asked. "You know, your staff."

"That is not for you mortals to know." Hermes said stiffly. No need for them to know. Apollo was snickering.

**"I will leave you now," Hestia said. She bowed to the aviator and disappeared into smoke.**

I wished she stayed, Percy thought.

I understood why she was so anxious to go. Hermes, the God of Messengers, did not look happy.

Apollo raised an eyebrow at his friend.

**"Hello, Percy." His brow furrowed as though he was annoyed with me, and I wondered if he somehow knew about the vision I'd just had. I wanted to ask why he'd been in May Castellan's house that night, and what had happened after he caught Luke. **

The mortals were all wondering that too, but didn't dare ask the god.

**I remembered the first time I'd met Luke at Camp Half-Blood. I'd asked him if he'd ever met his father, and he'd looked at me bitterly and said, Once. **

Marisa figured that one time had been the time in the vision, and it had not been good. Annabeth closed her eyes tightly. It most certainly had not been good.

**But I could tell from Hermes's expression that this was not the time to ask.**

**I bowed awkwardly. "Lord Hermes."**

So now he bows, thought Leila.

**Oh, sure, one of the snakes said in my mind. Don't say hi to us. We're just reptiles. **

"What?" Todd asked. "They do that?"

"Oh, yeah." Percy said with a smile. Conversations with them were always funny.

**"George, the other snake scolded. Be polite.**

**"Hello, George," I said. "Hey, Martha." Did you bring us a rat? George asked.**

**George, stop it, Martha said. He's busy!**

**Too busy for rats? George said. That's just sad. **

By now the whole class was cracking up. They sounded like an old married couple. Most were wishing they were here now.

**I decided it was better not to get into it with George.**

"They would have been pretty sad. Fighting with a snake." Brett said.

** "Um, Hermes," I said. "We need to talk to Zeus. It's important." **

"What would make you think Zeus would be here, when there is a war going on?" Marisa asked. Percy kept quiet, because he didn't have an answer.

**Hermes's eyes were steely cold. "I am his messenger. May I take a message?"**

A couple glances sneaked looks at Hermes. That didn't seem like him.

**Behind me, the other demigods shifted restlessly. This wasn't going as planned. Maybe if I tried to speak with Hermes in private . . .**

**"You guys," I said. "Why don't you do a sweep of the city? Check the defenses. See who's left in Olympus. Meet Annabeth and me back here in thirty minutes."**

Marisa nodded her head. Good idea.

**Silena frowned. "But-"**

**"That's a good idea," Annabeth said. "Connor and Travis, you two lead."**

**The Stolls seemed to like that-getting handed an important responsibility right in front of their dad. **

Hermes smiled proudly.

**They usually never led anything except toilet paper raids. **

This made Hermes even prouder. "That's my boys!" He high-fives Apollo.

**"We're on it!" Travis said. They herded the others out of the throne room, leaving Annabeth and me with Hermes. **

**"My lord," Annabeth said. "Kronos is going to attack New York. You must suspect that. My mother must have foreseen it."**

Apollo rolled his eyes. "You mother went on and on and on." He grumbled. Athena was a pain.

**"Your mother," Hermes grumbled. He scratched his back with his caduceus, and George and Martha muttered Ow, ow, ow. **

The girls wrinkled their noses at an uncaring Hermes.

**"Don't get me started on your mother, young lady. She's the reason I'm here at all. Zeus didn't want any of us to leave the front line. But your mother kept pestering him nonstop, 'It's a trap, it's a diversion, blah, blah, blah.' **

"That's because it is." Annabeth said in defense of he mother.

**She wanted to come back herself, but Zeus was not going to let his number one strategist leave his side while we're battling Typhon. And so naturally he sent me to talk to you."**

Apollo was shifting uncomfortably. He did not like tension.

**"But it is a trap!" Annabeth insisted. "Is Zeus blind?"**

"Now, now missy I wouldn't talk that way about your grandfather." Annabeth glared at the sun god and made an exasperated noise.

**Thunder rolled through the sky.**

"Zeus needs to learn to stop being such a drama queen." Apollo grumbled.

**"I'd watch the comments, girl," Hermes warned. "Zeus is not blind or deaf. He has not left Olympus completely undefended.**"

Marisa looked to Hermes. "There were no guards." She pointed out.

"So? There are other defenses."

**"But there are these blue lights-"**

**"Yes, yes. I saw them. Some mischief by that insufferable goddess of magic, Hecate, I'd wager, but you may have noticed they aren't doing any damage. Olympus has strong magical wards. Besides, Aeolus, the King of the Winds, has sent his most powerful minions to guard the citadel. No one save the gods can approach Olympus from the air. They would be knocked out of the sky."**

"Oh. But what about you gods? How are you supposed to get to Olympus?" Marisa asked.

Hermes groaned, and did not answer. The mortal would have to wait.

**I raised my hand. **

A couple people snorted. "If only you would do that in school." Paul said with a smile.

"**Um . . . what about that materializing/teleporting thing you guys do?"**

**"That's a form of air travel too, Jackson. Very fast, but the wind gods are faster. No, if Kronos wants Olympus, he'll have to march through the entire city with his army and take the elevators! Can you see him doing this?"**

The class erupted into laughter. I mean yeah the idea of Kronos invading Olympus was scary, but that would be be so funny for all those monsters to go through the elevator. I mean how is that not funny.

**Hermes made it sound pretty ridiculous-hordes of monsters going up in the elevator twenty at a time, listening to "Stayin' Alive." Still, I didn't like it. **

The class just laughed harder. Percy could imagine monsters tapping their foot and dancing along.

**"Maybe just a few of you could come back," I suggested. Hermes shook his head impatiently. "Percy Jackson, you don't understand. Typhon is our greatest enemy."**

Although the class was a little surprised at that, it made sense after hearing that video.

**"I thought that was Kronos."**

**The god's eyes glowed. "No, Percy. In the old days, Olympus was almost overthrown by Typhon. He is husband of Echidna-"**

**"Met her at the Arch," I muttered. "Not nice."**

"No, I thought she was going to offer you cookies." Annabeth said sarcastically with a look to her boyfriend.

**"-and the father of all monsters. We can never forget how close he came to destroying us all; how he humiliated us! We were more powerful back in the old days. Now we can expect no help from Poseidon because he's fighting his own war. Hades sits in his realm and does nothing, and Demeter and Persephone follow his lead. It will take all our remaining power to oppose the storm giant. We can't divide our forces, nor wait until he gets to New York. We have to battle him now. And we're making progress."**

"It didn't seem like progress." Andrew muttered. Marisa's mind was working overdrive. It made sense, if they split up, the gods would never be able to defeat Typhon, and it wouldn't matter who was fighting Kronos.

"**Progress?" I said. "He nearly destroyed St. Louis."**

"Key word, almost." Apollo said. "We're doing our job."

**"Yes," Hermes admitted. "But he destroyed only half of Kentucky. **

"Only half." Hailey said with a look at the gods.

**He's slowing down. Losing power."**

**I didn't want to argue, but it sounded like Hermes was trying to convince himself. **

Hermes shrugged sheepishly.

**In the corner, the Ophiotaurus mooed sadly.**

"Aw." Cara said sadly. "Poor Bessie."

**"Please, Hermes," Annabeth said. "You said my mother wanted to come. Did she give you any messages for us?"**

**"Messages," he muttered. "'It'll be a great job,' they told me. 'Not much work. Lots of worshippers.' Hmph. Nobody cares what I have to say. It's always about other people's messages. " **

**Rodents, George mused. I'm in it for the rodents. **

"Wow." Carlos said. "Very relevant to the conversation."

**Shhh, Martha scolded. We care what Hermes has to say. Don't we, George?**

**Oh, absolutely. Can we go back to the battle now? I want to do laser mode again. That's fun.**

The boys laughed very hard again. "They have laser mode?" Brett asked like a little kid receiving candy. "That is sick!" Hermes agreed whole heartedly.

**"Quiet, both of you," Hermes grumbled.**

**The god looked at Annabeth, who was doing her big-pleading-grayeyes thing.**

The mortals were a little shocked. It didn't seem like a very Annabeth thing to do.

**"Bah," Hermes said. "Your mother said to warn you that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods. As if I didn't know that. Why they pay her to be the wisdom goddess, I'm not sure."**

A couple people became nervous. How were forty demigods supposed to win a war against the Titan lord and his army? Seemed impossible.

**"Anything else?" Annabeth asked.**

**"She said you should try plan twenty-three. She said you would know what that meant."**

"How many plans are there?" Marisa asked.

"A lot." Annabeth replied. "And yes it is very hard to keep them all straight."

**Annabeth's face paled. Obviously she knew what it meant, and she didn't like it.**

"No I didn't." Annabeth grumbled.

**"Go on."**

**"Last thing." Hermes looked at me. "She said to tell Percy:**

**'Remember the rivers.' And, um, something about staying away from her daughter."**

Percy and Annabeth both flushed red. Of course Athena would say that during a war. She must really hate Poseidon.

**I'm not sure whose face was redder: Annabeth's or mine.**

**"Thank you, Hermes," Annabeth said. "And I . . . I wanted to say . . . I'm sorry about Luke."**

Hermes flashed out. He knew what was to come. Apollo looked at where his friend had once been and shrugged. He would stay and finish the chapter. The class looked in confusion to where the god had been sitting. Percy and Annabeth knew why he had left. Apollo waved his hand. "Continue reading." He told Paul.

**The god's expression hardened like he'd turned to marble. "You should've left that subject alone."**

Some people tensed. Touchy subject.

**Annabeth stepped back nervously. "Sorry?"**

**"SORRY doesn't cut it!"**

The mortals were all shocked at the god of thieves sudden change of moods. He was a god after all, they reasoned.

**George and Martha curled around the caduceus, which shimmered and changed into something that looked suspiciously like a highvoltage cattle prod.**

Apollo was now very confused. He was taking it a little too far. What was his deal? Everyone but Percy and Annabeth were wondering the same thing.

**"You should've saved him when you had the chance," Hermes growled at Annabeth. "You're the only one who could have." I tried to step between them. "What are you talking about? Annabeth didn't-"**

Annabeth ducked her head down, letting her hair form a curtain around her head, shielding her from the gaze of Percy's class mates.

**"Don't defend her, Jackson!" Hermes turned the cattle prod toward me.**

**"She knows exactly what I'm talking about."**

**"Maybe you should blame yourself!" I should've kept my mouth shut, but all I could think about was turning his attention away from Annabeth. This whole time, he hadn't been angry with me. He'd been angry with her. **

Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand.

**"Maybe if you hadn't abandoned Luke and his mom!"**

"Bad move." Apollo said under his breath.

**Hermes raised his cattle prod. He began to grow until he was ten feet tall.**

"Not good." Leila whispered. This was getting out of control.

**I thought, Well, that's it.**

**But as he prepared to strike, George and Martha leaned in close and whispered something in his ear.**

**Hermes clenched his teeth. He lowered the cattle prod, and it turned back to a staff.**

"Saved by the snakes." Liam said, a hint of relief in his voice. "Who would have thought." That had been close, but Percy had a knack of getting away from angry gods.

**"Percy Jackson," he said, "because you have taken on the curse of Achilles, I must spare you. You are in the hands of the Fates now. But you will never speak to me like that again. You have no idea how much I have sacrificed, how much-"**

**His voice broke, and he shrank back to human size. "My son, my greatest pride . . . my poor May . . ."**

The mortals all felt sympathy for the god. It was so unfair. May had gone crazy and Luke evil.

**He sounded so devastated I didn't know what to say. One minute he was ready to vaporize us. Now he looked like he needed a hug.**

The mortals had learnt throughout this book that gods were like that.

**"Look, Lord Hermes," I said. "I'm sorry, but I need to know. What happened to May? She said something about Luke's fate, and her eyes"**

"Not the best time to bring that up." Cara snapped. Why couldn't boys, even boys who saved the world, understand anything?

**Hermes glared at me, and my voice faltered. The look on his face wasn't really anger, though. It was pain. Deep, incredible pain.**

**"I will leave you now," he said tightly. "I have a war to fight." He began to shine. I turned away and made sure Annabeth did the same, because she was still frozen in shock.**

**Good luck, Percy, Martha the snake whispered.**

At least someone has manners, Leila thought.

**Hermes glowed with the light of a supernova. Then he was gone. **

"Like he is now." Todd muttered.

**Annabeth sat at the foot of her mother's throne and cried.**

No way said anything but a lot of people turned to the daughter of Athena. They couldn't imagine the strong girl crying.

** I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn't sure how.**

**"Annabeth," I said, "it's not your fault. I've never seen Hermes act that way. I guess . . . I don't know . . . he probably feels guilty about Luke. He's looking for somebody to blame. I don't know why he lashed out at you. You didn't do anything to deserve that." Annabeth wiped her eyes. She stared at the hearth like it was her own funeral pyre.**

**I shifted uneasily. "Um, you didn't, right?"**

Eyes were still on Annabeth wondering the same thing. She ignored them. They weren't worth her attention.

**She didn't answer. Her Celestial bronze knife was strapped to her arm-the same knife I'd seen in Hestia's vision. All these years, I hadn't realized it was a gift from Luke. **

A couple girls cooed softly. How sweet! They stopped with a glare from Annabeth.

I'd asked her many times why she preferred to fight with a knife instead of a sword, and she'd never answered me. Now I knew.

**"Percy," she said. "What did you mean about Luke's mother? Did you meet her?"**

"Yes." Someone piped up. " and she was a nut."

**I nodded reluctantly. "Nico and I visited her. She was a little . . . different."**

"Different would be putting it lightly." A boy grumbled.

** I described May Castellan, and the weird moment when her eyes had started to glow and she talked about her son's fate. Annabeth frowned. "That doesn't make sense. But why were you visiting-" Her eyes widened. "Hermes said you bear the curse of Achilles. Hestia said the same thing. Did you . . . did you bathe in the River Styx?"**

"He did." Carlos said in an accusing voice.

**"Don't change the subject."**

**"Percy! Did you or not?"**

**"Um . . . maybe a little."**

"Just a little." Hailey repeated sarcastically.

**I told her the story about Hades and Nico, and how I'd defeated an army of the dead. I left out the vision of her pulling me out of the river. I still didn't quite understand that part, and just thinking about it made me embarrassed.**

Annabeth smirked at him and laced her hand with his.

**She shook her head in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"**

"I think he had an idea." Cara said dryly.

**"I had no choice," I said. "It's the only way I can stand up to Luke."**

She hated to admit it, but Annabeth knew it was true. If Percy had never bathed in the Styx, she doubted they would have won.

**"You mean . . . di immortales, of course! That's why Luke didn't die. He went to the Styx and . . . Oh no, Luke. What were you thinking?"**

**"So now you're worried about Luke again," I grumbled. She stared at me like I'd just dropped from space. "What?"**

**"Forget it," I muttered. I wondered what Hermes had meant about Annabeth not saving Luke when she'd had the chance.**

More stares at Annabeth.

**Clearly, she wasn't telling me something. But at the moment I wasn't in the mood to ask. The last thing I wanted to hear about was more of her history with Luke. **

"Someone's jealous." Samantha sang, making both Annabeth and Percy blush red.

**"The point is he didn't die in the Styx," I said. "Neither did I. Now I have to face him. **

The mortals suspected that wouldn't go good. Two invincible, powerful beings fighting each other? Scary.

**We have to defend Olympus."**

**Annabeth was still studying my face, like she was trying to see differences since my swim in the Styx. "I guess you're right. My mom mentioned-"**

**"Plan twenty-three."**

"Dun, dun, dun." Apollo said. A couple people jumped. They had forgotten he was there.

**She rummaged in her pack and pulled out Daedalus's laptop. The blue Delta symbol glowed on the top when she booted it up. She opened a few files and started to read.**

"Athena's children and their reading." Apollo said. Annabeth gave a small glare.

**"Here it is," she said. "Gods, we have a lot of work to do."**

**"One of Daedalus's inventions?"**

**"A lot of inventions . . . dangerous ones. If my mother wants me to use this plan, she must think things are very bad." **

"Things were very bad." Marisa pointed out.

**She looked at me.**

**"What about her message to you: 'Remember the rivers'? What does that mean?"**

**I shook my head. As usual, I had no clue what the gods were telling me.**

"Clueless as ever." Annabeth said with a fond smile.

** Which rivers was I supposed to remember? The Styx? The Mississippi?**

**Just then the Stoll brothers ran in to the throne room.**

"This is going to be good." Apollo said, leaning back in his chair.

"**You need to see this," Connor said. "Now." The blue lights in the sky had stopped, so at first I didn't understand what the problem was.**

**The other campers had gathered in a small park at the edge of the mountain. They were clustered at the guardrail, looking down at Manhattan. The railing was lined with those tourist binoculars, where you could deposit one golden drachma and see the city. **

"That's so cool!" Brett yelled. It was very cool.

**Campers were using every single one.**

**I looked down at the city. I could see almost everything from here, the East River and the Hudson River carving the shape of Manhattan, the grid of streets, the lights of skyscrapers, the dark stretch of Central Park in the north. Everything looked normal, but something was wrong.**

"Of course something has to be wrong." A girl grumbled.

** I felt it in my bones before I realized what it was.**

**"I don't . . . hear anything," Annabeth said. That was the problem.**

**"**What?" Why was that a problem.

**Even from this height, I should've heard the noise of the city, millions of people bustling around, thousands of cars and machines, the hum of a huge metropolis. You don't think about it when you live in New York, but it's always there. Even in the dead of night, New York is never silent.**

"True that."

**But it was now.**

This was making no sense to the class. They listened intently.

**I felt like my best friend had suddenly dropped dead. **

**"What did they do?" My voice sounded tight and angry. "What did they do to my city?"**

"Your city?" Apollo demanded. "If anything it's my city." Percy rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath.

**I pushed Michael Yew away from the binoculars and took a look. In the streets below, traffic had stopped. Pedestrians were lying on the sidewalks, or curled up in doorways. There was no sign of violence, no wrecks, nothing like that. It was as if all the people in New York had simply decided to stop whatever they were doing and pass out.**

A collective gasp rose up. "What the Hades?" Marisa demanded. Percy shook his head in a wait and see gesture.

**"Are they dead?" Silena asked in astonishment.**

"No." Todd said, but his voice was shaky.

** Ice coated my stomach. A line from the prophecy rang in my ears: And see the world in endless sleep. I remembered Grover's story about meeting the god Morpheus in Central Park. You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event.**

Marisa gasped eyes widening in realization. A couple people connected the dots as well. Apollo said some not very nice things in Ancient Greek about Morpheus.

**"Not dead," I said. "Morpheus has put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started."**

**So yeah, sorry about that chapter. Please tell me if their are any glitches (missing paragraphs, duplicate writing) because my computer is being weird. The next update will probably take a while because its testing time and I have tons of projects to do. Urgh I hate school. Review!**

.

.


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh, would you look at that, I updated! I am so sorry about the late update, but good thing is, testing is almost over! Here's a chapter to celebrate!**

**Mrs. O'Leary was the only one happy about the sleeping city. **

A couple boys frowned mournfully. "Of all the things I could have done if everyone was asleep." Brett moaned. Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other, remembering the children of Hermes. They had been in heaven.

**We found her pigging out at an overturned hot dog stand while the owner was curled up on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb. **

Laughter filled the room. That was too funny of an image.

**Argus was waiting for us with his hundred eyes wide open. **

"Creepy." A girl shivered. Like he was always watching you...

**He didn't say anything. He never does. I guess that's because he supposedly has an eyeball on his tongue. **

The mortals shivered again, remembering Hermes confirming the rumor.

**But his face made it clear he was freaking out. **

**I told him what we'd learned in Olympus, and how the gods would not be riding to the rescue. **

Cara scowled for a moment. After the 'discovery of the gods' as they were calling it, they had been taught to pray to the gods when they needed it, but now in their time of need, the gods were abandoning them. Cara knew she was being stupid, the gods had their own problems, but in the back of her mind she kept remembering it had always been the heroes who saved the day in the myths.

**Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, which looked pretty psychedelic since it made his whole body swirl.**

"That is so sick!" Liam yelled. Everyone admitted it was.

**"You'd better get back to camp," I told him. "Guard it as best you can."**

**He pointed at me and raised his eyebrow quizzically. **

**"**That must be so annoying." Todd complained. "It's like a never ending game of charades."

**"I'm staying," I said.**

**Argus nodded, like this answer satisfied him. He looked at Annabeth and drew a circle in the air with his finger.**

"A circle." Hailey said, with a quizzical look. "Well that explains a lot."

**"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "I think it's time."**

"Dun, dun, dun." Brett said, in hushed, dramatic whisper. "This is where the really dramatic part usually happens." He said in the same voice, as if he needed to explain himself.

**"For what?" I asked.**

**Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. **

"Well." Brett said. He seemed disappointed. "That wasn't exciting."

**It looked pretty much standard issue-the same kind of round shield we always used in capture the flag. **

**"**Why do you need a shield for capture the flag?" Carlos asked nervously.

Annabeth smiled. "The way we play capture the flag can get pretty scary." Carlos gulped.

**But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty-which wasn't anywhere close to us.**

**"**Whoa." Marisa said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "What is that!?" Annabeth let the book explain.

**"Whoa," I said. "A video shield."**

**"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before-" **

Annabeth and Percy looked down sadly.

**She glanced at Silena. "Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look."**

Marisa was in awe at the invention.

"That is extremely beyond cool!" Brett yelled. All the things he could do with something like that, all the people he could spy on. (**And NO to all those people with dirty minds)**

**We crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, so I got motion sickness just watching it. We were in the Central Park Zoo, then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.**

**"Whoa," Connor Stoll said. "Back up. Zoom in right there."**

**"What?" Annabeth said nervously. "You see invaders?"**

A couple people got nervous. Not so soon.

**"No, right there-Dylan's Candy Bar." Connor grinned at his brother.**

The boys whooped. They could see where this was going.

**"Dude, it's open. And everyone is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"**

"Free candy!" Everyone yelled together. Percy was wishing they had a chance to take advantage of it. Stupid war.

**"Connor!" Katie Gardner scolded. She sounded like her mother, Demeter. "This is serious. You are not going to loot a candy store in the middle of a war!"**

Hailey shot a look at Brett. "That would be inappropriate."

**"Sorry," Connor muttered, but he didn't sound very ashamed. Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.**

**"This will let us see what's going on across the city," she said.**

**"Thank you, Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at camp . . . someday."**

"How optimistic." Leila said dryly.

**Argus grunted. He gave me a look that clearly meant Good luck; you'll need it, **

"You got that right."

**then climbed into his van. He and the two harpy drivers swerved away, weaving around clusters of idle cars that littered the road.**

**I whistled for Mrs. O'Leary, and she came bounding over.**

"I wish my dog was that well behaved." Cara said. "She would be licking all the people for hours."

**"Hey, girl," I said. "You remember Grover? The satyr we met in the park?"**

**"WOOF!"**

"I'll take that as a yes." Todd said.

**I hoped that meant Sure I do! And not, Do you have more hot dogs?**

"She probably wanted more hotdogs either way." Annabeth said. That dog could always eat.

**"I need you to find him," I said. "Make sure he's still awake. We're going to need his help. You got that? Find Grover!" **

"Don't eat him though!" Brett called.

"Idiot." Hailey said, with a groan.

**Mrs. O'Leary gave me a sloppy wet kiss, which seemed kind of unnecessary. **

"Awww."

**Then she raced off north.**

**Pollux crouched next to a sleeping policeman. "I don't get it. Why didn't we fall asleep too? Why just the mortals?"**

**"**Yeah!" Andrew said. "This is so unfair."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "So you would rather fight in a war then sleep?" That shut him up.

**"This is a huge spell," Silena Beauregard said. "The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you've got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder."**

The mortals were slightly taken back. Didn't expect that from her.

**I stared at her. "When did you learn so much about magic?" Silena blushed. "I don't spend all my time on my wardrobe."**

**"**Said the daughter of Aphrodite." Cara said under her breath.

**"Percy," Annabeth called. She was still looking at the shield. "You'd better see this."**

"That's not good."

**The bronze image showed Long Island Sound near La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speedboats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. **

"We'll that's something you don't see everyday." Liam muttered.

**At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped in the night wind.**

Marisa sucked in her breath sharply. Kronos's symbol. They were coming.

** I'd never seen that design before, but it wasn't hard to figure out: the battle flag of Kronos.**

The rest of the class followed Marisa's reaction. How could the demigods fend off an army? They weren't ready. But they all kept quiet. If the mortals had learned anything, it was that demigods weren't to be underestimated, especially Percy.

**"Scan the perimeter of the island," I said. "Quick." Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was plowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was crowded with dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship was a pod of marine mammals. At first I thought they were dolphins. Then I saw their doglike faces and the swords strapped to their waists, and I realized they were telkhines-sea demons.**

"How could you mistake a monster for a dolphin?" A girl named Lindsey demanded. Dolphins were her favorite animal. Percy shrugged sheepishly.

**The scene shifted again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, a few fire-spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II-era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of its way as it rumbled into the tunnel.**

The mortals all went wide eyed. If they didn't already knew they won the war, they would have had no faith. How could they win? It was crazy. This was war, and it was scary.

**"What's happening with the mortals outside Manhattan?" I said. "Is the whole state asleep?"**

**"**No." Todd grumbled. "It's just our luck that we are the only ones sleeping."

**Annabeth frowned. "I don't think so, but it's strange. As far as I can tell from these pictures, Manhattan is totally asleep. Then there's like a fifty-mile radius around the island where time is running really, really slow. The closer you get to Manhattan, the slower it is." **

"I have no idea what that meant." Carlos said. Annabeth rolled her eyes, saying something about stupid mortals. She didn't explain.

**She showed me another scene-a New Jersey highway. It was Saturday evening, so the traffic wasn't as bad as it might've been on a weekday. The drivers looked awake, but the cars were moving at about one mile per hour. Birds flew overhead in slow motion.**

"Oh, now I get it." Carlos said. It was creepy and cool at the same time. "Everything is in slow motion around Manhattan."

"No duh."

**"Kronos," I said. "He's slowing time."**

**"**No, I thought it was Atlas." Liam said sarcastically.

**"Hecate might be helping," Katie Gardner said. "Look how the cars are all veering away from the Manhattan exits, like they're getting a subconscious message to turn back."**

Marisa groaned. A lot of the minor gods had teamed up with Kronos.

**"I don't know." Annabeth sounded really frustrated. She hated not knowing. **

Of course she did, Annabeth thought. She was Athena's daughter after all.

**"But somehow they've surrounded Manhattan in layers of magic. The outside world might not even realize something is wrong.**

"You know, besides the fact that the country is being destroyed." Hailey scoffed.

** Any mortals coming toward Manhattan will slow down so much they won't know what's happening."**

"Weird." And scary.

**"Like flies in amber," Jake Mason murmured.**

**Annabeth nodded. "We shouldn't expect any help coming in." **

The class was shocked. Without backup, there was no way they could win. Could they?

**I turned to my friends. They looked stunned and scared, and I couldn't blame them. The shield had shown us at least three hundred enemies on the way. There were forty of us. And we were alone.**

Leila wanted to be optimistic, but found no reason to. At least they won, she reassured herself. But what had the cost been?

**"All right," I said. "We're going to hold Manhattan."**

Marisa turned on Percy. "Manhattan is huge!" She cried. "And you have thirty campers! How are you going to hold it down?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "There was no other option."

** Silena tugged at her armor. "Um, Percy, Manhattan is huge."**

"At least someone has sense!" Marisa said, then realized Silena was a daughter of Aphrodite ruining her point.

**"We are going to hold it," I said. "We have to."**

**"He's right," Annabeth said.**

"Ha!" Percy yelled to Marisa. "A child of Athena agrees with me!" Annabeth rolled her eyes at him and gave Percy an amused smile.

"Don't expect it to happen often." She warned.

"Yes mam." Percy mumbled.

** "The gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air, so he'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off the entrances to the island."**

**"They have boats," Michael Yew pointed out.**

**An electric tingle went down my back. Suddenly I understood Athena's advice: Remember the rivers.**

**"I'll take care of the boats," I said.**

"That would make sense. The son of Poseidon takes care of the boats." Liam said. How cool it would be to be a son of Poseidon. No wonder Percy was such a fast swimmer! Cheater.

**Michael frowned. "How?"**

Percy smiled deviously. "I have my ways."

**"Just leave it to me," I said. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin takes the BrooklynBattery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do, but keep them out of there! Conner, take half of Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!"**

"Aw." Brett and the boys moaned. "That's taking away all the fun!"

Most were surprised Percy could take control like that. He did seem like the leader type though. Annabeth smiled proudly at Percy. She wouldn't have believed it, if she hasn't seen it for herself.

**"Awwww!" the whole Hermes cabin complained.**

Some were shocked how they could be complaining about that, during war, for gods sake!

**"Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel."**

**"Oh my gods," one of her sisters said. "Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters, like, totally hate the smell of Givenchy."**

"Wow." Samantha said. "All totally remember that!" The girls were wondering if that was true, because if it was they would wear it all the time. What? Monsters were scary!

"**No delays," I said. "Well . . . the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."**

"Well that's going to get them excited." Cara muttered.

**Six Aphrodite girls kissed me on the cheek in excitement.**

Annabeth flushed red for a moment before calming herself. Percy pecked her lightly on the cheek and Samantha cooed.

**"All right, enough!" I closed my eyes, trying to think of what I'd forgotten. "The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got." He grinned. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!" **

The class cheered. For Beckendorf!

**The whole cabin roared in approval.**

**"The 59th Street Bridge," I said. "Clarisse-" I faltered. Clarisse wasn't here. The whole Ares cabin, curse them, was sitting back at camp.**

A couple people cursed. It wasn't about pride anymore. It was about saving their own butts.

**"We'll take that," Annabeth stepped in, saving me from an embarrassing silence. She turned to her siblings. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold that position."**

"The dreaded plan number twenty-three." Brett said dramatically. He was ignored.

**"You got it."**

**"I'll go with Percy," she said. "Then we'll join you, or we'll go wherever we're needed."**

**Somebody in the back of the group said, "No detours, you two." **

Some giggles came from the girls.

There were some giggles, but I decided to let it pass.

**"All right," I said. "Keep in touch with cell phones."**

The mortals were confused. "I thought you didn't have cell phones." Cara said questionably.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "We were surrounded by sleeping people who do have cellphones though." And left it that.

**"We don't have cell phones," Silena protested. I reached down, picked up some snoring lady's BlackBerry, and tossed it to Silena. "You do now. You all know Annabeth's number, right? If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for the monsters to zero in on you." **

"That's like stealing." Leila said, though it was half-hearted. At least they were only borrowing them...

**Everyone grinned as though they liked this idea.**

"The Hermes cabin were probably very happy about that." Todd said.

**Travis cleared his throat. "Uh, if we find a really nice phone-"**

**"No, you can't keep it," I said.**

"Aw." A couple of boys groaned.

**"Aw, man."**

**"Hold it, Percy," Jake Mason said. "You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel." **

A couple people cursed. If the Ares cabin was there, they wouldn't have that problem.

**I bit back a curse. He was right. A Sherman tank and a hundred monsters were marching through that tunnel right now, and I'd positioned our forces everywhere else.**

**Then a girl's voice called from across the street: "How about you leave that to us?"**

A few mortals looked hopeful. Maybe Clarissa had brought her cabin to the rescue? Somehow they had a feeling that wasn't the case.

**I'd never been happier to hear anyone in my life. **

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him and gave a teasing glare. "Thanks seaweed brain." She said smirking.

** Aband of thirty adolescent girls crossed Fifth Avenue. They wore white shirts, silvery camouflage pants, and combat boots. They all had swords at their sides, quivers on their backs, and bows at the ready. A pack of white timber wolves milled around their feet, and many of the girls had hunting falcons on their arms.**

Percy and Annabeth laughed at the mortals faces. The hunters were pretty scary, but even scarier in battle.

**The girl in the lead had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket. She wore a silver circlet on her head like a princess's tiara, which didn't match her skull earrings or her Death to Barbie T-shirt showing a little Barbie doll with an arrow through its head.**

The mortals all knew who this was. Thalia, who they had all met on more than one occasion. If her hunters were anything like Thalia, well, their chances of winning just improved.

**"Thalia!" Annabeth cried.**

**The daughter of Zeus grinned. "The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty."**

Cheers went up.

**There were hugs and greetings all around . . . or at least Thalia was friendly. The other Hunters didn't like being around campers, especially boys, but they didn't shoot any of us, which for them was a pretty warm welcome.**

"Well aren't they just rays of sunshine." Carlos mumbled. He defiantly would not like to meet them.

"**Where have you been the last year?" I asked Thalia. "You've got like twice as many Hunters now!"**

**She laughed. "Long, long story. I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Jackson."**

"She wishes!" Percy yelled. Annabeth didn't even bother to tell him he was talking to a book.

**"Complete lie," I said.**

**"We'll see," she promised. "After this is over, you, Annabeth, and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th."**

"Well if you fail, that place will be destroyed." Andrew said. "What?" He asked to the looks thrown his way. "It's true."

**"Le Parker Meridien," I said. "You're on. And Thalia, thanks." She shrugged. "Those monsters won't know what hit them. **

"True." Annabeth said. The hunters wee deadly.

**Hunters, move out!"**

**She slapped her silver bracelet, and the shield Aegis spiraled into full form. The golden head of Medusa molded in the center was so horrible, the campers all backed away. **

The mortals all shivered with creeps. How much scarier could she get?

**The Hunters took off down the avenue, followed by their wolves and falcons, and I had a feeling the Lincoln Tunnel would be safe for now.**

Percy's classmates all nodded there heads

fast. Even they knew that.

**"Thank the gods," Annabeth said. "But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless."**

"Leave that to Percy." Liam said, knowing he would have some awesome plan.

"**You're right," I said.**

**I looked at the campers, all of them grim and determined. I tried not to feel like this was the last time I'd ever see them all together.**

"Don't." Leila tsked.

**"You're the greatest heroes of this millennium," I told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win."**

"Wow. Great speech." Hailey said.

Percy smiled proudly. "It was very motivational." He said, ignoring the sarcasm.

** I raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!" They shouted in response, and our forty voices echoed off the buildings of Midtown. **

"That's pretty loud for forty kids." Carlos said."

Percy smirked. "We're demigods. We can scream as loud as we want."

**For a moment it sounded brave, but it died quickly in the silence of ten million sleeping New Yorkers. **

The mortals couldn't imagine how quiet that must be. New York was always full of loud noises, even on a slow day.

**Annabeth and I would've had our pick of cars, but they were all wedged in bumper-to-bumper traffic. **

**"**So even when not a single person is driving, New York is still congested." A boy said rolling his eyes. Of course.

**None of the engines were running, which was weird. It seemed the drivers had had time to turn off the ignition before they got too sleepy. Or maybe Morpheus had the power to put engines to sleep as well.**

"Sweet!" A couple kids yelled, but that didn't really sound right.

** Most of the drivers had apparently tried to pull to the curb when they felt themselves passing out, but still the streets were too clogged to navigate. Finally we found an unconscious courier leaning against a brick wall, still straddling his red Vespa. We dragged him off the scooter and laid him on the sidewalk.**

"Cool!" Brett yelled. "I've always wanted a Vespa!"

"**Sorry, dude," I said. With any luck, I'd be able to bring his scooter back. If I didn't, it would hardly matter, because the city would be destroyed.**

"Nice thinking, Perce." Annabeth said. "Lots of faith." Percy blushed.

**I drove with Annabeth behind me holding on to my waist. **

Samantha squealed. "How cute!"

**We zigzagged down Broadway with our engine buzzing through the eerie calm. The only sounds were occasional cell phones ringing-like they were calling out to each other, as if New York had turned into a giant electronic aviary.**

"That is so beyond creepy." A girl shivered. It was like the end of the world. Wait... It was.

**Our progress was slow. Every so often we'd come across pedestrians who'd fallen asleep right in front of a car, and we'd move them just to be safe.**

Of course, some people thought. Only they would do that during a war!

** Once we stopped to extinguish a pretzel vendor's cart that had caught on fire.**

"I'm guessing the pretzels weren't spared." Andrew said with a moan.

** A few minutes later we had to rescue a baby carriage that was rolling aimlessly down the street. It turned out there was no baby in it-just somebody's sleeping poodle. **

That brought laughs. Some people were really loco.

**Go figure. We parked it safely in a doorway and kept riding.**

**We were passing Madison Square Park when Annabeth said, "Pull over."**

**I stopped in the middle of East 23rd. Annabeth jumped off and ran toward the park. By the time I caught up with her, she was staring at a bronze statue on a red marble pedestal. **

The mortals raised eyebrows, especially Marisa. What was this about? Weren't they supposed to be fighting?

**I'd probably passed it a million times but never really looked at it.**

Annabeth shook her head at Percy. "Always observe." She scolded. Percy banged his head on the table.

**The dude was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed. He wore an old-fashioned suit-Abraham Lincoln style-with a bow tie and long coattails and stuff. A bunch of bronze books were piled under his chair. He held a writing quill in one hand and a big metal sheet of parchment in the other**.

The statue sounded familiar but no one could put a name to the statue. Why was it important anyway?

**"Why do we care about . . ." I squinted at the name on the pedestal.**

**"William H. Steward?"**

"Who the Hades is that?" Brett asked.

Paul butted in, "Well you should know we learned about him in the beginning of this year. Even though it is Seward, not Steward." Brett flushed red and kept quiet. Paul continued to read.

**"Seward," Annabeth corrected. "He was a New York governor. Minor demigod-son of Hebe, I think.**

**"**Wow." Marisa said in wonder. She wondered what other historical figures were demigods.

** But that's not important. It's the statue I care about."**

"That makes a ton of sense." Carlos mumbled. "The statue." Annabeth shot the mortal an annoyed look.

**She climbed on a park bench and examined the base of the statue.**

**"Don't tell me he's an automaton," I said.**

"Automaton?" Cara said in a shaky voice.

**Annabeth smiled. "Turns out most of the statues in the city are automatons. Daedalus planted them here just in case he needed an army."**

The mortals, once again, had some pretty funny looks on their faces. It creeped them out that the statues in the city could come to life... And kill them.

"**To attack Olympus or defend it?"**

"I hope to defend it." Someone said with wide eyes.

**Annabeth shrugged. "Either one. **

"That's not reassuring."

**That was plan twenty-three. He could activate one statue and it would start activating its brethren all over the city, until there was an army. It's dangerous, though. You know how unpredictable automatons are."**

"Malfunction." A boy named Karl said. He was into machines. "If one of them hay wired..." He trailed off. "That would not be good."

**"Uh-huh," I said. We'd had our share of bad experiences with them.**

"Of course." Leila said. He seemed to have run into everything.

**"You're seriously thinking about activating it?"**

"Of course I am."

**"I have Daedalus's notes," she said. "I think I can . . . Ah, here we go."**

**She pressed the tip of Seward's boot, and the statue stood up, its quill and paper ready.**

"Is it really that easy." Brett asked. He had a mischievous glint in his eye that no one liked.

"No." Annabeth said warily. "They are all different."

"Awe."

**"What's he going to do?" I muttered. "Take a memo?"**

The class laughed. If anything Percy was always good at supplying a laugh.

**"Shh," Annabeth. "Hello, William."**

**"Bill," I suggested.**

More chuckles.

**"Bill . . . Oh, shut up," Annabeth told me. The statue tilted its head, looking at us with blank metal eyes.**

"Creepy."

**Annabeth cleared her throat. "Hello, er, Governor Seward. Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Defend Manhattan. Begin Activation."**

**Seward jumped off his pedestal. **

Jaws dropped. No way. "That is so cool!" A couple of obnoxious boys in the back yelled.

**He hit the ground so hard his shoes cracked the sidewalk. Then he went clanking off toward the east.**

"Er, where is he going?" Hailey asked. Annabeth waved an impatient hand, indicating to wait.

**"He's probably going to wake up**

**Confucius," Annabeth guessed.**

"What?"

**"What?" I said.**

Snickers.

**"Another statue, on Division. The point is, they'll keep waking each other up until they're all activated."**

**"**Wow. I never knew automatons were so organized." Todd said.

**"And then?"**

**"Hopefully, they defend Manhattan."**

"Hopefully?" Leila squeaked. That didn't sound promising.

**"Do they know that we're not the enemy?"**

**"I think so."**

Some people groaned. This was not looking good.

**"That's reassuring." I thought about all the bronze statues in the parks, plazas, and buildings of New York. There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands.**

And if all of them thought the demigods were the enemy, well that would not be good

.

**Then a ball of green light exploded in the evening sky. Greek fire, somewhere over the East River.**

That's not good.

**"We have to hurry," I said. And we ran for the Vespa. We parked outside Battery Park, at the lower tip of Manhatta where the Hudson and East Rivers came together and emptied into the bay.**

**"Wait here," I told Annabeth.**

**"Percy, you shouldn't go alone."**

**"**Always the buddy system." Paul said in a mocking teacher voice.

**"Well, unless you can breathe underwater . . ." **

"He's got a point there." Marisa said.

"You should always have backup." Annabeth countered. The argument dropped there.

**She sighed. "You are so annoying sometimes."**

"You're always annoying." Annabeth corrected herself.

**"Like when I'm right? Trust me, I'll be fine. I've got the curse of Achilles now. I'll all invincible and stuff."**

"And stuff." Hailey muttered.

**Annabeth didn't look convinced. "Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you. I mean, because we need you for the battle."**

"That's the only reason." Samantha said with a suggestive smirk. Percy and Annabeth blushed.

**I grinned. "Back in a flash."**

**I clambered down the shoreline and waded into the water. Just for you non-sea-god types out there, don't go swimming New York Harbor. **

"Really?" Liam said sarcastically. "Because I was planning on going down there after school. "

**It may not be as filthy as it was in my mom's day, but that water will still probably make you grow a third eye or have mutant children when you grow up.**

"That's, pleasant." Cara said her eyebrows drawn together. It wasn't a very nice thought.

"I think it would be kind of cool to have a third eye." Andrew said very unhelpfully.

**I dove into the murk and sank to the bottom. I tried to find the spot where the two rivers' currents seemed equal-where they met to form the bay. I figured that was the best place to get their attention.**

**"HEY!" I shouted in my best underwater voice . **

"You have an underwater voice?" Liam asked.

"Of course." Percy replied with a cheeky grin.

**The sound echoed in the darkness. "I heard you guys are so polluted you're embarrassed to show your faces. Is that true?"**

"Ohh." Brett said. "Insulting rivers, now are we?"

**A cold current rippled through the bay, churning up plumes of garbage and silt**.

Many if the mortals wrinkled their noses. The water was so polluted.

**"I heard the East River is more toxic," I continued, "but the Hudson smells worse. Or is it the other way around?"**

"Burn!" Some boys yelled. No one seemed to think it was weird that he was yelling at rivers.

**The water shimmered. Something powerful and angry was watching me now. **

"Now you've done it." Carlos said. No one was worried. If he could take on Ares, he could beat river gods.

**I could sense its presence . . . or maybe two presences. I was afraid I'd miscalculated with the insults. What if they just blasted me without showing themselves? But these were New York river gods. I figured their instinct would be to get in my face.**

"Wow." Leila said. "Even gods are like that?"

"Yup. Even worse so." Annabeth said.

** Sure enough, two giant forms appeared in front of me. At first they were just dark brown columns of silt, denser than the water around them. Then they grew legs, arms, and scowling faces.**

"Creepy." Some one said in the background. There was a lot of creepy things in this book.

**The creature on the left looked disturbingly like a telkhine. His face was wolfish. His body was vaguely like a seal's-sleek black with flipper hands and feet. His eyes glowed radiation green. The dude on the right was more humanoid. He was dressed in rags and seaweed, with a **

**chain-mail coat made of bottle caps and old plastic six-pack holders. His face was blotchy with algae, and his beard was overgrown. His deep blue eyes burned with anger. **

"Ok then." Liam said. "Did not expect the river gods to be so... Like that." No one else did either.

**The seal, who had to be the god of the East River, said, "Are you trying to get yourself killed, kid? Or are you just extra stupid?" **

"Neither, but the second one is correct too." Annabeth said slyly. Percy gave a halfhearted glare.

**The bearded spirit of the Hudson scoffed. "You're the expert on stupid, East."**

"That wasn't very nice." Leila said with a giggle. It was kind of weird to imagine those two creatures arguing.

**"Watch it, Hudson," East growled. "Stay on your side of the island and mind your business."**

**"Or what? You'll throw another garbage barge at me?" They floated toward each other, ready to fight.**

"Fight, fight, fight!" The boys chanted.

**"Hold it!" I yelled. "We've got a bigger problem."**

"Awe." The boys groaned. They wanted a fight.

**"The kid's right," East snarled. "Let's both kill him, then we'll fight each other."**

"At least they're working together." Annabeth smirked.

"Wow." Percy pouted. "It's nice to see how much concern you have for your boyfriend."

**"Sounds good," Hudson said.**

**Before I could protest, a thousand scraps of garbage surged off the bottom and flew straight at me from both directions: broken glass, rocks, cans, tires.**

"Tires?" Someone asked. Why were there tired in the water? No one was worried about Percy. One, he was in the water, two, he was invincible.

**I was expecting it, though. The water in front of me thickened into a shield. **

The class wasn't surprised. They knew all about Percy's water powers now, but it was still cool.

**The debris bounced off harmlessly. Only one piece got through-a big chunk of glass that hit my chest and probably should've killed me, but it shattered against my skin.**

"That would have stunk." Andrew said. "Surviving all that, and then dying by a piece of glass." Every one had to admit how cool the invincibility thing was.

**The two river gods stared at me.**

**"Son of Poseidon?" East asked.**

"Yeah!" Percy yelled, pumping his fist in the air. He got plenty odd looks.

**I nodded.**

**"Took a dip in the Styx?" Hudson asked.**

"Hades yeah!" Percy yelled once again.

"**Yep."**

**They both made disgusted sounds.**

**"Well, that's perfect," East said. " Now how do we kill him?"**

**"We could electrocute him," Hudson mused. "If I could just find some jumper cables-"**

"Gods really don't like you do they?" Hailey asked.

"Nope." Percy said. "Never has, never will."

"Listen to me!" I said. "Kronos's army is invading Manhattan.'"

**"Don't you think we know that?" East asked. "I can feel his boats right now. They're almost across."**

**"Yep," Hudson agreed. "I got some filthy monsters crossing my waters too."**

"If they're filthy, then you should blow them up." Marisa said, like they could here her.

**"So stop them," I said. "Drown them. Sink their boats."**

**"Why should we?" Hudson grumbled. "So they invade Olympus. What do we care?"**

"Yeah, why do they?" Liam asked. What would give them a reason to fight?

**"Because I can pay you." I took out the sand dollar my father had given me for my birthday.**

"Well that's a neat birthday present." Todd said sarcastically. "I mean, being a god and all couldn't he have gotten you something nicer?"

"He knew I would need it." Percy defended.

**The river gods' eyes widened.**

**"It's mine!" East said. "Give it here, kid, and I promise none of Kronos's scum are getting across the East River."**

**"Forget that," Hudson said. "That sand dollar's mine, unless you want me to let all those ships cross the Hudson."**

"That's a problem." Marisa mumbled. They were both so desperate for clean water.

**"We'll compromise." I broke the sand dollar in half. A ripple of clean fresh water spread out from the break, as if all the pollution in the bay were being dissolved.**

"Wow." Liam said. "Why can't Poseidon clean all our waters?"

"Because," Percy said, "it would be too obvious. The mortals would have gotten suspicious."

"Why can't he do it now?"

"You have to do that for yourselves."

**"You each get half," I said. "In exchange, you keep all of Kronos's forces away from Manhattan."**

**"Oh, man," Hudson whimpered, reaching out for the sand dollar. "It's been so long since I was clean."**

**"The power of Poseidon," East River murmured. "He's a jerk, but he sure knows how to sweep pollution away."**

**They looked at each other, then spoke as one: "It's a deal." I gave them each a sand-dollar half, which they held reverently.**

**"Um, the invaders?" I prompted.**

**East flicked his hand. "They just got sunk."**

**Hudson snapped his fingers. "Bunch of hellhounds just took a dive."**

"It was that simple." Leila cursed. Gods were so difficult.

**"Thank you," I said. "Stay clean."**

"Yeah right." Annabeth said. "They were dirty within a week."

**As I rose toward the surface, East called out, "Hey, kid, any time you got a sand dollar to spend, come on back. Assuming you live."**

**"Curse of Achilles," Hudson snorted. "They always think that'll save them, don't they?"**

**"If only he knew," East agreed. **

People gave Percy odd looks, which he ignored. He was alive wasn't he?

**They both laughed, dissolving into the water.**

**Back on the shore, Annabeth was talking on her cell phone, but she hung up as soon as she saw me. She looked pretty shaken.**

The mortals began to get slightly nervous. If Annabeth was nervous, it was bad.

**"It worked," I told her. "The rivers are safe."**

**"Good," she said. "Because we've got other problems. Michael Yew just called. Another army is marching over the Williamsburg Bridge. The Apollo cabin needs help. And Percy, the monster leading the enemy . . . it's the Minotaur."**

**Again I a so so sorry about the late update. I'm sorry to say but expect the updates to get farther and farther apart. I have like 30 days of school left, less then that and I'm just trying to survive that. Till next time! Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh my gods guys, I'm back! It has been soo long since I've last updated. I got my laptop back yesterday and I immediately started writing this chapter for you. Sorry if it's not my best work, but I didn't want to wait any longer. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Me no own**

**Fortunately, Blackjack was on duty. **

A couple kids snickered. _Really, _Leila thought. _How immature. They're in high school!_

**I did my best taxicab whistle, and within a few minutes two dark shapes circled out of the sky. They looked like hawks at first, but as they descended I could make out the long galloping legs of a Pegasus. Yo, boss. Blackjack landed at a trot, his friend Porkpie right behind him.**

"No fair." Todd muttered. "Even the flying horses don't fall asleep."

**Man, I thought those wind gods were going to knock us to Pennsylvania until we said we were with you! **

"Good security." Marisa said in approval.

**"Thanks for coming," I told him. "Hey, why do pegasi gallop as they fly, anyway?"**

Kids thought about that for a moment. Why did they? Weird.

** Blackjack whinnied. Why do humans swing their arms as they walk? I dunno, boss. It just feels right. Where to? **

"He has a point there." A boy said.

**"We need to get to the Williamsburg Bridge," I said. Blackjack lowered his neck. **

**You're darn right, boss. We flew over it on the way here, and it doesn't look good. Hop on! **

**On the way to the bridge, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. The Minotaur was one of the first monsters I'd ever defeated. **

"One of the first monsters you ever defeated was a minotaur!" a girl screeched. That was impressive! And hot. "How old were you?" Percy didn't answer just slunk lower in his seat.

**Four years ago he'd nearly killed my mother on Half-Blood Hill.**

Paul paled. He had never been told about that! The kids however were doing the math in there head. "You were twelve?" Carlos asked his shocked and awed ace mirroring that of his classmates. "No way."

Percy mumbled something like, "Yeah, whatever." Leaving his classmates to whisper among themselves. Some were feeling hopeful. If he could kill it when he was twelve he could kill it now no problem right?

** I still had nightmares about that. I'd been hoping he would stay dead for a few centuries, but I should've known my luck wouldn't hold.**

No one disagreed. Percy had the worst luck, yet in some ways he also had the best luck.

** We saw the battle before we were close enough to make out individual fighters. It was well after midnight now, but the bridge blazed with light. Cars were burning. Arcs of fire streamed in both directions as flaming arrows and spears sailed through the air. We came in for a low pass, and I saw the Apollo campers retreating. They would hide behind cars and snipe at the approaching army, setting off explosive arrows and dropping caltrops in the road, building fiery barricades wherever they could, dragging sleeping drivers out of their cars to get them out of harm's way. But the enemy kept advancing. An entire phalanx of dracaena marched in the lead, their shields locked together, spear tips bristling over the top. An occasional arrow would connect with their snaky trunks, or a neck, or a chink in their armor, and the unlucky snake woman would disintegrate, but most of the Apollo arrows glanced harmlessly off their shield wall. About a hundred more monsters marched behind them. Hellhounds leaped ahead of the line from time to time. Most were destroyed with arrows, but one got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. I didn't see what happened to him next. I didn't want to know. **

Everyone was shivering with horrified faces. This was worse than the wars they learned about in class. This had happened, not that long ago. The kids fighting were their age! War had never been so real to them. Still, Paul was probably the most shocked with realization. He remembered demigods coming in and out of the Blofis/Jackson household after the war. This is what they had gone through. They had seen more than he or any adult ever would. This is what his step-son had been through and seen. It made him sad above anything else. Percy was lost in memories.

**"There!" Annabeth called from the back of her Pegasus. Sure enough, in the middle of the invading legion was Old Beefhead himself. **

"Nice one." Brett snickered, but it seemed deflated somehow.

**The last time I'd seen the Minotaur, he'd been wearing nothing but his tighty whities. I don't know why. Maybe he'd been shaken out of bed to chase me.**

The kids were laughing now, energy and excitement finding its way back into the classroom. Who knew not all monsters weren't so scary?

** This time, he was prepared for battle. From the waist down, he wore standard Greek battle gear-a kiltlike apron of leather and metal flaps, bronze greaves covering his legs, and tightly wrapped leather sandals. His top was all bull-hair and hides and muscle leading to a head so large he should've toppled over just from the weight of his horns. He seemed larger than the last time I'd seen him-ten feet tall at least. A double-bladed axe was strapped to his back, but he was too impatient to use it. As soon as he saw me circling overhead (or sniffed me, more likely, since his eyesight was bad), he bellowed and picked up a white limousine. **

They took back what they thought about monsters not being scary.

"Blackjack, dive!" I yelled.

**What? The Pegasus asked. No way could he . . . Holy horse feed! We were at least a hundred feet up, but the limo came sailing toward us, flipping fender over fender like a two-ton boomerang. **

A couple people faced palmed. Only Percy would think that.

**Annabeth and Porkpie swerved madly to the left, while Blackjack tucked in his wings and plunged. The limo sailed over my head, missing by maybe two inches. It cleared the suspension lines of the bridge and fell toward the East River.**

"Wow," Andrew said. "Somebody lifts."

** Monsters jeered and shouted, and the Minotaur picked up another car. "Drop us behind the lines with the Apollo cabin," I told Blackjack. "Stay in earshot but get out of danger!" **

Some people blinked in surprise. Was he retreating?

**I ain't gonna argue, boss! Blackjack swooped down behind an overturned school bus, where a couple of campers were hiding. Annabeth and I leaped off as soon as our pegasi's hooves touched the pavement. Then Blackjack and Porkpie soared into the night sky. Michael Yew ran up to us. He was definitely the shortest commando I'd ever seen. **

"Wow, really?" a short kid near the front grumbled.

**He had a bandaged cut on his arm. His ferrety face was smeared with soot and his quiver was almost empty, but he was smiling like he was having a great time. **

"Someone's gone loco." Brett said, but was silenced by a glare from Percy.

**"Glad you could join us," he said. "Where are the other reinforcements?" **

**"For now, we're it." I said. **

**"Then we're dead," he said. **

"Nice way to think." Leila muttered, but she couldn't blame him. It seemed true enough.

**"You still have your flying chariot?" Annabeth asked. **

**"Nah," Michael said. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing." **

"Are you kidding me!?" a boy yelled. After all that, they still wouldn't fight? Forget about honor, did they want to die?

**"Least you tried," I said.**

** Michael shrugged. "Yeah, well, I called her some names when she said she still wouldn't fight. I doubt that helped. Here come the uglies!" He drew an arrow and launched it toward the enemy. The arrow made a screaming sound as it flew. When it landed, it unleashed a blast like a power chord on an electric guitar magnified through the world's largest speakers. The nearest cars exploded. Monsters dropped their weapons and clasped their ears in pain. Some ran. Others disintegrated on the spot. "That was my last sonic arrow," Michael said.**

Paul shook his head. What kind of weapons were these kids being trusted with?

**"A gift from your dad?" I asked. "God of music?"**

**Michael grinned wickedly. "Loud music can be bad for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always kill." **

"Loud music isn't bad for you!" a kid in the back named Eric yelled, who seemed to have earphones permanently glued into his ears. Quite a few people disagreed, considering his hearing was horrible. They were surprised he was even listening to the story.

**Sure enough, most monsters were regrouping, shaking off their confusion.**

Some people groaned. Nothing good could last for long.

** "We have to fall back," Michael said. "I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge." **

**"No," I said. "Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn. " **

Marisa looked skeptical. "How do you plan to do that?" She asked.

Percy looked her way his face mock serious. "Never doubt the great Percy Jackson!" he said in a way that made people burst out laughing, or decide he should be put in mental institution, no matter how powerful a demigod.

It was weird; ever since they started reading the book they were seeing a whole different side to Percy. The quiet, brooding kid who sat in the back of the class was replaced by the snarky, sarcastic Percy who laughed and smiled easily. They were seeing the real Percy Jackson.

**Michael laughed. "How do you plan to do that?" **

"Exactly what I was thinking." Marisa mumbled.

**I drew my sword. "Percy," Annabeth said, "let me come with you." **

A couple girls cooed softly, whispering and giggling about gods knows what in their little cluster.

**"Too dangerous," I said. "Besides, I need you to help Michael coordinate the defensive line. I'll distract the monsters. You group up here. Move the sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start **

**picking off monsters while I keep them focused on me. If anybody can do all that, you can. " **

**Michael snorted. "Thanks a lot." **

**I kept my eyes on Annabeth. She nodded reluctantly. "All right. Get moving." **

**Before I could lose my courage, I said, "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?"**

Now, almost all the girls full out squealed. "You two kissed before!?" Samantha screeched. "Before you even started dating?!"

"Not telling." Percy said with a shake of his head. He was blushing a dark red but a small smile played on his lips. The girls squealed some more.

** I figured she would punch me.**

"Well that's nice." A girl said, slightly taken back.

"That's Annabeth."

** Instead, she drew her knife and stared at the army marching toward us. "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."**

More squealing from the girls.

** I figured it was the best offer I would get, so I stepped out from behind the school bus. I walked up the bridge in plain sight, straight toward the enemy.**

"You're crazy!" Marisa said, although everyone had already figured that out. She seemed to be the only girl who didn't care about Percy'1s love life.

Percy shrugged. "I know." He said simply.

** When the Minotaur saw me, his eyes burned with hate. He bellowed- a sound that was somewhere between a yell, a moo, and a really loud belch. "Hey, Beef Boy," **

"You have horrible insults." Brett said, but he knew he wouldn't have the guts to stand up to the Minotaur in the first place.

**I shouted back. "Didn't I kill you already?" He pounded his fist into the hood of a Lexus, and it crumpled like aluminum foil. **

The mortals shivered. How had they thought he wasn't scary?

**A few dracaenae threw flaming javelins at me. I knocked them aside. A hellhound lunged, and I sidestepped. I could have stabbed it, but I hesitated.**

"Why?!" s boy yelled. "Just kill it! It's a monster!" Percy ignored him.

** This is not Mrs. O'Leary, I reminded myself. **

"Oh." The boy said slightly sheepish, understanding now.

This is an untamed monster. It will kill me and all my friends. It pounced again. This time I brought Riptide up in a deadly arc. The hellhound disintegrated into dust and fur. More monsters surged forward-snakes and giants and telkhines-but the Minotaur roared at them, and they backed off.

** "One on one?" I called. "Just like old times?" The Minotaur's nostrils quivered. He seriously needed to keep a pack of Aloe Vera Kleenex in his armor pocket, because that nose was wet and red and pretty gross. **

A couple people shook their head and face palmed. They couldn't decide if he was stupid or brave. Probably both.

**He unstrapped his axe and swung it around. It was beautiful in a harsh I'm~going~to-gut~you~like~a~fish kind of way.**

"That's very beautiful." Cara muttered sarcastically.

** Each of its twin blades was shaped like an omega:**

Paul paused for a moment. "Does anyone know what that is?" he asked. It was an English class after all. Moving past Marisa's hand waving wildly in the air, he called on Carlos who was not expecting it.

"Um-erm," he stammered. "it's a, a um, Greek letter?" it came out like a question.

"Correct." Paul said in approval. "Do you know which one?" when Carlos shook his head no, Paul gave in and called on Marisa who got the answer right.

** -the last letter of the Greek alphabet. **

Marisa smiled smugly.

**Maybe that was because the axe would be the last thing his victims ever saw.**

"That is not a good way to die." Todd murmured.

**The shaft was about the same height as the Minotaur, bronze wrapped in leather. Tied around the base of each blade were lots of bead necklaces. I realized they were Camp Half-Blood beads-necklaces taken from defeated demigods. **

The mortals' eyes widened in disbelief and many other things. Percy was trying very hard to get a hold of his anger and gestured quickly for Paul to keep reading.

**I was so mad, I imagined my eyes glowing just like the Minotaur's. I raised my sword. The monster army cheered for the Minotaur, but the sound died when I dodged his first swing and sliced his axe in half, right between the handholds. **

The class leaned forward, excited to hear the fight. Percy's fights were always heroic and awesome.

**"Moo?" he grunted. **

**"HAAA!" I spun and kicked him in the snout. He staggered backward, trying to regain his footing, then lowered his head to charge. He never got the chance. My sword flashed-slicing off one horn, then the other. He tried to grab me. I rolled away, picking up half of his broken axe. The other monsters backed up in stunned silence, making a circle around us. **

Andrew snorted. Even the monsters were impressed with his skills, he thought.

**The Minotaur bellowed in rage. He was never very smart to begin with, but now his anger made him reckless. He charged me, and I ran for the edge of the bridge, breaking through a line of dracaenae.**

No one thought for a second Percy was running away. They had learned not to doubt him.

** The Minotaur must've smelled victory. He thought I was trying to get away. His minions cheered. At the edge of the bridge, I turned and braced the axe against the railing to receive his charge. The Minotaur didn't even slow down. CRUNCH. He looked down in surprise at the axe handle sprouting from his breastplate.**

The class cheered still in awe of Percy's skills.

** "Thanks for playing," I told him. I lifted him by his legs and tossed him over the side of the bridge. Even as he fell, he was disintegrating, turning back into dust, his essence returning to Tartarus.**

"Creepy." Carlos said with a shiver. He wondered how long it would take for the Minotaur to come back. Hopefully not in his life time.

** I turned toward his army. It was now roughly one hundred and ninety-nine to one.**

The class became nervous. No matter how good Percy was he couldn't take them all right?

** I did the natural thing. I charged them.**

Some people gaped but they shouldn't have been surprised. "That's the natural thing?" Cara asked, her voice a little too high.

"For me." Percy replied with a shrug.

Of course.

** You're going to ask how the "invincible" thing worked: if I magically dodged every weapon, or if the weapons hit me and just didn't harm me. **

Marisa pondered that, curious.

**Honestly, I don't remember. All I knew was that I wasn't going to let these monsters invade my hometown.**

"New York! New York! New York!" The class rooted. No monster, not even Kronos could do that and get away with it.

**I sliced through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. I slashed and stabbed and whirled, and I might have even laughed once or twice-a crazy laugh that scared me as much as it did my enemies.**

"Okay then." A girl said giving a sheepish Percy an odd look. But hey, he should deserve to be able to go a little crazy after everything.

** I was aware of the Apollo campers behind me shooting arrows, disrupting every attempt by the enemy to rally. Finally, the monsters turned and fled- about twenty left alive out of two hundred.**

It was then that every person in that room knew never to get on the bad side of an ADHD/dyslexic kid ever again.

**I followed with the Apollo campers at my heels. "Yes!" yelled Michael Yew. "That's what I'm talking about!" We drove them back toward the Brooklyn side of the bridge. The sky was growing pale by the east. I could see the toll stations ahead. **

**"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "You've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!" Some part of me knew she was right, but I was doing so well, I wanted to destroy every last monster.**

"Idiot." Marisa said under her breath. Listen to the daughter of Athena.

** Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge. The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses.**

"Traitor demigods." Percy said with a sour look, to the mortals confused faces. More than a few people didn't understand why you would go against your parents to side with an evil titan lord, but they didn't understand what it was like to be so ignored and forgotten, doing all the gods dirty work.

** One of them held a purple banner with the black scythe design. The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm, and I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold.**

Hailey shivered as a sudden thougth occurred to her. The same bridge that she had driven over countless times before was the same bridge that Kronos was once on. It was really weird if you think about it.

** Annabeth and the Apollo campers faltered. The monsters we'd been pursuing reached the Titan's line and were absorbed into the new force. Kronos gazed in our direction. He was a quarter mile away, but I swear I could see him smile.**

"I hope you were just seeing things." Todd said with a grimace. He wasn't the only person who, for some reason, found that a little creepy.

** "Now," I said, "we pull back." The Titan lord's men drew their swords and charged. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding. "Retreat!" I told my friends. "I'll hold them. '"**

Nobody even said anything about how Percy wouldn't be able to hold an entire army by himself.

** In a matter of seconds they were on me. Michael and his archers tried to retreat, but Annabeth stayed right beside me, fighting with her knife and mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge.**

Samantha smiled dreamily. They made a perfect couple, even before they were dating!

**Kronos's cavalry swirled around us, slashing and yelling insults. The Titan himself advanced leisurely, like he had all the time in the world. Being the lord of time, I guess he did. **

"Oh my gods, Percy." Brett said with a chuckle. "What goes through you head!"

**I tried to wound his men, not kill.**

A kid opened his mouth to question Percy, then closed it, realizing something. These were demigods, kids, not monsters. Percy was lost in painful memories wondering what he had done during war.

** That slowed me down, but these weren't monsters. They were demigods who'd fallen under Kronos's spell. I couldn't see faces under l their battle helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends**.

Now that wasn't something you wanted to think about, but it was true and sad.

**I slashed the legs off their horses and made the skeletal mounts disintegrate. After the first few demigods took a spill, the rest figured out they'd better dismount and fight me on foot. Annabeth and I stayed shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. **

Many people were reminded of the same thing happening in the movies.

**A dark shape passed over me, and I dared to glance up. Blackjack and Porkpie were swooping in, kicking our enemies in the helmets and flying away like very large kamikaze pigeons.**

"What the Hades," Hailey said, "is a kamikaze pigeon?"

"For your information." Percy said smugly. "They're pigeons that control missiles." **(A/N That's true! I had to read about it once and it's really cool.)**

Some kids gave him dubious looks. "What?" He asked, defensively. "You actually learn things when you have a smart girlfriend.

**We'd almost made it to the middle of the bridge when something strange happened. I felt a chill down my spine-like that old saying about someone walking on your grave.**

"What old saying?" Leila asked.

"Uh… I don't know! It doesn't matter!"

** Behind me, Annabeth cried out in pain. **

Some people leaned forward. What happened?

**"Annabeth!" I turned in time to see her fall, clutching her arm. A demigod with a bloody knife stood over her.**

Here comes kick butt- protective Percy, Leila thought. No one was particularly worriedabout Annabeth being seriously hurt, considering they had met Annabeth before so she had to be o.k.

** In a flash I understood what had happened. He'd been trying to stab me. **

Big shocker there, Marisa thought dryly. Of course they would want to take out the leader.

**Judging from the position of his blade, he would've taken me- maybe by sheer luck-***********

Paul had gotten used to the stars and didn't even hesitate, knowing what they meant.

** my only weak point.**

"Come on." Brett moaned. "Why can't we know your weak spot. We won't tell."

"No." Percy said "Just no."

**Annabeth had intercepted the knife with her own body.**

Squeals were coming from most of the girls and even those who weren't had to admit it was romantic.

** But why? She didn't know about my weak spot. No one did. **

"Because it's true love." Samantha squealed very, very loudly. It hurt Percy's red ears.

**I locked eyes with the enemy demigod. **

**He wore an eye patch under his war helm: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis.**

"God of Revenge." Marisa said in an ominous tone. Who knew what revenges son would want? Percy sighed, already knowing the classes resentment towards the traitor. They didn't know his reasons. They didn't know he made the right decision in the end. Not yet anyway.

** Somehow he'd survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda.**

Most had forgotten about that and it wasn't exactly a pleasant reminder.

** I slammed him in the face with my sword hilt so hard I dented his helm. **

Note to self: Never touch any of Percy's friends, Andrew thought.

**"Get back!" I slashed the air in a wide arc, driving the rest of the demigods away from Annabeth. "No one touches her!" **

"Awwwwwwww." And they weren't even dating yet! Samantha squealed in her head.

**"Interesting," Kronos said. He towered above me on his skeletal horse, his scythe in one hand. He studied the scene with narrowed eyes as if he could sense that I'd just come close to death, the way a wolf can smell fear.**

A shiver passed through everyone. He was probably scarier in real life.

** "Bravely fought, Percy Jackson," he said. "But it's time to surrender . . . Or the girl dies." **

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. What was Percy going to do? Said Percy was avoiding all the looks he was getting.

**"Percy, don't, " Annabeth groaned. Her shirt was soaked with blood. **

Some people started getting worried, even if she was okay now.

**I had to get her out of here. "Blackjack!" I yelled. As fast as light, the pegasus swooped down and clamped his teeth on the straps of Annabeth's armor. They soared away over the river before the enemy could even react.**

Cheers rose up, shocking Paul. They really were into the book.

**Kronos snarled. "Someday soon, I am going to make pegasus soup. **

"Ew." Samantha said, wrinkling her nose. "Why would you make Pegasus soup." She got no answer and some eye rolls.

**But in the meantime . . ." He dismounted, his scythe glistening in the dawn light. "I'll settle for another dead demigod." **

Everyone leaned forward, ready for a fight.

**I met his first strike with Riptide. The impact shook the entire bridge, but I held my ground. Kronos's smile wavered. With a yell, I kicked his legs out from under him. His scythe skittered across the pavement. **

"Whoo!" One point for Percy!

**I stabbed downward, but he rolled aside and regained his footing. His scythe flew back to his hands. **

"Well then." Andrew said. "I'd say that was cheating."

**"So . . ." He studied me, looking mildly annoyed. "You had the courage to visit the Styx. I had to pressure Luke in many ways to convince him. If only you had supplied my host body instead . . . **

"Yeah right." Percy huffed. "I wouldn't even think about it for a minute." Maybe the gods weren't his favorite people but still.

**But no matter. I am still more powerful. I am a TITAN."**

"So." Brett said. "The titans didn't win last time what makes you can win now."

** He struck the bridge with the butt of his scythe, and a wave of pure force blasted me backward. Cars went careening. Demigods-even Luke's own men-were blown off the edge of the bridge. **

Leila was disgusted. Kronos didn't care about his allies. He just wanted power.

**Suspension cords whipped around, and I skidded halfway back to Manhattan. I got unsteadily to my feet. The remaining Apollo campers had almost made it to the end of the bridge, except for Michael Yew, who was perched on one of the suspension cables a few yards away from me, His last arrow was notched in his bow.**

Breaths were held. What was he doing?

**"Michael, go!" I screamed. **

**"Percy, the bridge!" he called. "It's already weak!" At first I didn't understand. Then I looked down and saw fissures in the pavement. Patches of the road were half melted from Greek fire. The bridge had taken a beating from Kronos's blast and the exploding arrows. "Break it!" Michael yelled. "Use your powers!" **

"Even you can't do that." A boy said but there was doubt in his voice. I mean really you think they would learn.

**It was a desperate thought-no way it would work- but I stabbed Riptide into the bridge. The magic blade sank to its hilt in asphalt. **

"No way." Marisa said with her mouth wide open. "It doesn't work that way!" but apparently it did.

**Salt water shot from the crack like I'd hit a geyser. I pulled out my blade and the fissure grew. The bridge shook and began to crumble. Chunks the size of houses fell into the East River. Kronos's demigods cried out in alarm and scrambled backward. Some were knocked off their feet. Within a few seconds, a fifty-foot chasm opened in the Williamsburg Bridge between Kronos and me. **

The room was absolutely silent. "Well." Brett said after clearing his throat. "That explains what happened to the bridge." Where the bridge had gone had been a mystery-until now.

**The vibrations died. Kronos's men crept to the edge and looked at the hundred-and-thirty-foot drop into the river. I didn't feel safe, though. The suspension cables were still attached. The men could get across that way if they were brave enough. **

"That's a pretty big if." Andrew muttered. In his opinion they were all cowards.

**Or maybe Kronos had a magic way to span the gap.**

No one had thought of that. IT would make sense, being the Titan lord.

** The Titan lord studied the problem. He looked behind him at the rising sun, than smiled across the chasm. He raised his scythe in a mock salute. "Until this evening, Jackson." He mounted his horse, whirled around, and galloped back to Brooklyn, followed by his warriors. **

"He's not giving up is he?" Carlos asked. It would be too much to ask for if he was. Marisa was trying to dissect his plan, but when it came to this she was absolutely lost.

**I turned to thank Michael Yew, but the words died in my throat. Twenty feet away, a bow lay in the street. Its owner was nowhere to be seen. **

It became very silent and still in the room. Another one gone. How many would be dead by the end of the war? Too many.

**"No!" I searched the wreckage on my side of the bridge. I stared down at the river. Nothing. I yelled in anger and frustration. The sound carried forever in the morning stillness. **

Percy looked down sadly, remembering everyone who had died, their bodies never even found.

**I was about to whistle for Blackjack to help me search, when my mom's phone rang. The LCD display said I had a call from Finklestein & Associates-probably a demigod calling on a borrowed phone.**

"Great more bad news." Todd said bitterly. What else could go wrong?

** I picked up, hoping for good news.**

"Since when has there been good news?" Leila asked sadly.

** Of course I was wrong. "Percy?" Silena Beauregard sounded like she'd been crying. "Plaza Hotel. You'd better come quickly and bring a healer from Apollo's cabin. It's . . . It's Annabeth. "**

**Sorry I didn't bring anyone in this chapter, although there will be a special guest next one. :) Also do you know how many people asked for Poseidon? He will come in I promise, but I have a special chapter for him, which is sadly not very soon. So, review! I love them so much because they are always so nice and they give me inspiration to write! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, I'm here with an update! I think this is the earliest I ever updated. And about the special visitor I wasn't originally going to bring in Rachel, but then I decided this would be the perfect chapter for her to come in. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own. Anything.**

Percy was about to get in his car (it was finally fixed!) when he was interrupted by a certain red head. "Hey." She said. Percy groaned knowing Rachel Elizabeth Dare was here for a reason.

"Shouldn't you be in school? You know across the country?" He asked.

"We're on break." Rachel said with a wave of her hand. "Anyway Annabeth told me about the book. I want in."

Percy groaned. "I liked it better when you two were enemies."

"Well too bad." Rachel was already sliding into the car.

Percy actually arrived at school on time, but it seems everyone has gotten there before him. He shifted uncomfortably at the door way. "You know Rachel." He said, nodding at her. Rachel gave a small wave. She had never liked Goode, or the people who went there.

"It's good to see you for a visit Rachel." Paul said. He knew about her being the Oracle. The class didn't.

"We're just going to go sit down." Percy said uneasily walking to the back of the room. As he walked, with Rachel behind him he could hear the whispers about Rachel being able to see through the mist and her incident with Kronos. Good thing they didn't know about her being the Oracle. They would go crazy. After they were all quiet, Paul started the chapter.

**I grabbed Will Solace from the Apollo cabin and told the rest of his siblings to keep searching for Michael Yew. We borrowed a Yamaha FZI from a sleeping biker**

"I wish I hadn't been sleeping." Brett interrupted with a moan. "All the things I could have stolen." Percy didn't bother to tell him that if he had been awake, he most likely would have been monster chow.

** and drove to the Plaza Hotel at speeds that would've given my mom a heart attack. I'd never driven a motorcycle before, but it wasn't any harder than riding a pegasus. **

"Only you," Rachel said teasingly, "would compare riding a motorcycle to a flying horse."

**Along the way, I noticed a lot of empty pedestals that usually held statues. Plan twenty-three seemed to be working. I didn't know if that was good or bad.**

"Let's hope for good." Leila muttered. They couldn't deal with a statue army.

** It only took us five minutes to reach the Plaza-an old-fashioned white stone hotel with a gabled blue roof, sitting at the southeast corner of Central Park.**

"Come on." Todd said. "You could go anywhere in the whole city and you choose there? You could be going to a 5 star hotel or something!" Percy decided not to argue. Todd did have a point.

** Tactically speaking, the Plaza wasn't the best place for a headquarters. It wasn't the tallest building in town, or the most centrally located. But it had old-school style and had attracted a lot of famous demigods over the years, like the Beatles and Alfred Hitchcock, **

"The Beatles were demigods?" a kid shouted. "That is sick!" Everyone agreed, whispers beginning to break out.

"Uh, yeah." Percy said. "A lot of famous people are."

"Who else?" Samantha asked excitedly, wanting to get some dig on her favorite celebrities.

"Taylor Swift is a daughter of Apollo." Percy replied after a moment, causing even more whispers. He couldn't even imagine all the rumors about to make the headline, or mortal wanna be superstars claiming to be descendants of Apollo that was sure to come.

**so I figured we were in good company.**

The whispers died down, getting back into the story.

** I gunned the Yamaha over the curb and swerved to a stop at the fountain outside the hotel. Will and I hopped off. The statue at the top of the fountain called down, "Oh, fine. I suppose you want me to watch your bike too!" She was a life-size bronze standing in the middle of a granite bowl. She wore only a bronze sheet around her legs, and she was holding a basket of metal fruit. I'd never paid **

**her too much attention before. Then again, she'd never talked to me before. **

"I would hope not." Cara said. It would not be good if the savor of Olympus was crazy.

**"Are you supposed to be Demeter?" I asked. A bronze apple sailed over my head. **

"Well." Andrew said. "Someone has a temper."

**"Everyone thinks I'm Demeter. '" she complained. "I'm Pompona, the Roman Goddess of Plenty, but why should you care? Nobody cares about the minor gods. If you cared about the minor gods, you wouldn't be losing this war! Three cheers for Morpheus and Hecate, I say!"**

"Wow." Carlos muttered. "Good thing she's not running loose." An angry statue would not be a good thing.

** "Watch the bike," I told her.**

"How considerate." Rachel said, sending Percy a look, which he ignored.

** Pompona cursed in Latin and threw more fruit as Will and I ran toward the hotel. I'd never actually been inside the Plaza. The lobby was impressive, with the crystal chandeliers and the passed-out rich people, but I didn't pay much attention. **

"Passed out rich people?" Brett said appalled. "They were probably loaded!" The boys all agreed.

**A couple of Hunters gave us directions to the elevators, and we rode up to the penthouse suites. Demigods had completely taken over the top floors. Campers and Hunters were crashed out on sofas, washing up in the bathrooms, ripping silk draperies to bandage their wounds, and helping themselves to snacks and sodas from the minibars. A couple of timber wolves were drinking out of the toilets.**

"Well," Rachel said. "That explains what happened there. The owners were furious when they found out." Rachel knew that first hand because her dad was personal friends with the owner and he had gone berserk, especially when he saw the wolf droppings.

** I was relieved to see that so many of my friends had made it through the night alive, but everybody looked beat up. **

"That is not something most people worry about." Leila said.

**"Percy!" Jake Mason clapped me on the shoulder. "We're getting reports-"**

** "Later," I said. "Where's Annabeth?"**

"You know." Marisa said, trying to be heard over Samantha and her cliques squealing. "That could've been Kronos invading again."

"But it wasn't." and the conversation dropped there.

** "The terrace. She's alive, man, but . . . " I pushed past him. Under different circumstances I would've loved the view from the terrace. It looked straight down onto Central Park. The morning was clear and bright-perfect for a picnic or a hike, or pretty much anything except fighting monsters.**

"Yeah." Percy said. "Couldn't Kronos have invaded on a yucky, rainy day?" Percy got some very odd looks with a few shaking heads.

**Annabeth lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even though she was covered in blankets, she shivered. **

Percy bit his lip with worry, knowing he wouldn't like this chapter.

**Silena Beauregard was wiping her forehead with a cool cloth. Will and I pushed through a crowd of Athena kids. Will unwrapped Annabeth's bandages to examine the wound, and I wanted to faint. **

A couple people sucked in breaths. If it made Percy Jackson want to faint, it had to be bad.

**The bleeding had stopped but the gash looked deep. The skin around the cut was a horrible shade of green.**

Some immature boys made gagging noises.

** "Annabeth . . . " I choked up. **

"Eeek! So cute!"

**She'd taken that knife for me. How could I have let that happen? "Poison on the dagger, " she mumbled. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?" **

Rachel bit back a retort. Even if she was the Oracle now and couldn't date there was still some jealousy left for Annabeth.

**Will Solace exhaled with relief. "It's not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar." **

There were some unnecessary sighs of relief.

**I grabbed a canteen. Will cleaned out the wound with the godly drink while I held Annabeth's hand. "Ow,"she said. "Ow, ow!" She gripped my fingers so tight they turned purple, but she stayed still, like Will asked. Silena muttered words of encouragement. Will put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek-a hymn to Apollo. Then he applied fresh bandages and stood up shakily. **

"That doesn't seem so hard." Carlos said.

"It was probably hard for Will." Rachel shot back.

**The healing must've taken a lot of his energy. He looked almost as pale as Annabeth. "That should do it," he said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies." **

"Haha!" Brett cried. "The demigods need something from us for a change."

"You know. It was probably a demigod who made those supplies." Percy pointed out.

"Oh."

**He grabbed a piece of hotel stationery, jotted down some notes, and handed it to one of the Athena guys. "There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would never steal-" **

**"I would," Travis volunteered.**

"At least someone has some sense." A boy said. Really how could you have all That free stuff at your disposal, and not steal any of it? He got some glares from some girls.

**Will glared at him. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat." Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a single demigod who hadn't already been wounded . . . Except me.**

"I can't believe you." Leila said in disbelief. "You actually look guilty about that." It was true that Percy did. He just didn't think it was fair everyone was hurt and he was fine. Not even a scratch.

** "Come on, guys," Travis Stoll said. "Let's give Annabeth some space. We've got a drugstore to raid . . . I mean, visit." **

"Sure that's what you meant." Brett said with a smirk.

**The demigods shuffled back inside. Jake Mason grabbed my shoulder as he was leaving. "We'll talk later, but it's under control. I'm using Annabeth's shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why.**

"Maybe there like vampires." Todd volunteered. "They burn in the sun."

"If they did, life would be a whole lot easier." Percy said with a sigh.

**We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel." **

**"Thanks, man," I said. **

**He nodded. "Just take your time." He closed the terrace doors behind him, leaving Silena, Annabeth, and me alone. **

**Silena pressed a cool cloth to Annabeth's forehead. "This is all my fault." **

Some people were taken back. How was it Silena's fault? Percy looked down sadly. It wasn't your fault, he thought.

**"No, " Annabeth said weakly. "Silena, how is it your fault?" **

**"I've never been any good at camp," she murmured. "Not like you or Percy. If I was a better fighter…" **

No one commented and kept any opinions they had to themselves. It wasn't the right time, even if some of the self-centered jerks agreed.

**Her mouth trembled. Ever since Beckendorf died she'd been getting worse, and every time I looked at her, it made me angry about his death all over again. Her expression reminded me of glass-like she might break any minute. **

The class looked down sadly. Only a few people could emphasize with losing someone you loved.

**I swore to myself that if I ever found the spy who'd cost her boyfriend his life, I would give him to Mrs. O'Leary as a chew toy. **

Percy and Rachel both sucked in breaths. Poor, poor Silena, Rachel thought.

**"You're a great camper," I told Silena. "You're the best pegasus rider we have. And you get along with people. Believe me; anyone who can make friends with Clarisse has talent." **

A couple people laughed wryly, but no one was really in it.

**She stared at me like I'd just given her an idea. "That's it! We need the Ares cabin. I can talk to Clarisse. I know I can convince her to help us." **

"I see so many problems with that." Hailey muttered under her breath.

**"Whoa, Silena. Even if you could get off the island, Clarisse is pretty stubborn. Once she gets angry-" **

**"Please," Silena said. "I can take a pegasus. I know I can make it back to camp. Let me try." I exchanged looks with Annabeth. She nodded slightly. I didn't like the idea. I didn't think Silena stood a chance of convincing Clarisse to fight. **

"If any one did it would be Silena." Leila pointed out.

**On the other hand, Silena was so distracted right now that she would just get herself hurt in battle. Maybe sending her back to camp would give her something else to focus on. "All right," I told her. "I can't think of anybody better to try." **

**Silena threw her arms around me. Then she pushed back awkwardly, glancing at Annabeth. "Um, sorry. Thank you, Percy! I won't let you down!" **

**Once she was gone, I knelt next to Annabeth and felt her forehead. She was still burning up. "You're cute when you're worried," she muttered. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together." **

"It's true." Samantha said with a flirtatious smile. Percy blushed lightly and looked away.

**"You are not going to die while I owe you a favor," I said. "Why did you take that knife?" **

"Because she loves you." Samantha chimed. Rachel bit her lip. She would not get jealous.

**"You would've done the same for me." It was true. I guess we both knew it. Still, I felt like somebody was poking my heart with a cold metal rod. **

"Awwww." The feels!

**"How did you know?" **

"Know what?" Some kid asked, not getting it. Than Marisa gasped. He was invincible and Annabeth knew it. Why would she take the knife if she knew it would actually hurt him?

**"Know what?" I looked around to make sure we were alone. Then I leaned in close and whispered: "My Achilles spot. If you hadn't taken that knife, I would've died**."

The room got still, waiting for her answer.

**She got a faraway look in her eyes. Her breath smelled of grapes, maybe from the nectar. "I don't know, Percy. I just had this feeling you were in danger. Where . . . Where is the spot?" I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But this was Annabeth. If I couldn't trust her, I couldn't trust anyone. **

Rachel sighed heavily. She never had a chance.

**"******. " She lifted her hand. **

**"Where? Here?" She put her hand on my ****, and my skin tingled. I moved her fingers to the one spot that grounded me to my mortal life. A thousand volts of electricity seemed to arc through my body. **

**"You saved me," I said. "Thanks." **

"I think you owe her more than I thanks." Samantha said in a suggestive voice.

**She removed her hand, but I kept holding it. **

Cue squeals.

**"So you owe me," she said weakly. "What else is new?" We watched the sun come up over the city. The traffic should've been heavy by now, but there were no cars honking, no crowds bustling along the sidewalks. **

A couple people glanced out the window. They listened to the city sounds for a moment than shook their heads. They couldn't imagine it being completely silent.

**Far away, I could hear a car alarm echo through the streets. A plume of black smoke curled into the sky somewhere over Harlem. I wondered how many ovens had been left on when the Morpheus spell hit; how many people had fallen asleep in the middle of cooking dinner. Pretty soon there would be more fires. **

Suddenly it didn't seem so cool that everyone was asleep.

**Everyone in New York was in danger-and all those lives depended on us. **

And that the only ones awake are ADHD/Dyslexic teenagers.

**"You asked me why Hermes was mad at me," Annabeth said. **

Rachel raised an eyebrow. She had never actually met the god of messengers but he seemed to be one of the more laid back gods.

**"Hey, you need to rest-" **

**"No, I want to tell you. It's been bothering me for a long time." She moved her shoulder and winced. "Last year, Luke came to see me in San Francisco." **

"Wait." A kid interrupted. "So Kronos decides to visit you and you don't think to tell anyone?" A glare from Percy made him fall silent.

**"In person?" I felt like she'd just hit me with a hammer. "He came to your house?" **

**"This was before we went into the Labyrinth, before . . ." She faltered, but I knew what she meant: before be turned into Kronos. **

"Oh." The kid said. Still couldn't she have done something, was what was running through most of the kids' minds. He came to her house and she let him get away.

**"He came under a flag of truce. He said he only wanted five minutes to talk. He looked scared, Percy. He told me Kronos was going to use him to take over the world. He said he wanted to run away, like the old days. He wanted me to come with him."**

"A trick." Marisa murmured under her breath. Really, even she could figure that out.

"But you didn't trust him."

**"Of course not. I thought it was a trick. Plus . . . Well, a lot of things had changed since the old days. I told Luke there was no way. He got mad. He said . . . He said I might as well fight him right there, because it was the last chance I'd get."**

It fell silent. If she fought him, before he was Kronos, maybe before he was invincible and won… They wouldn't be in this mess. But no one expected she would ever do that. Kill who had been like an older brother to you, who had taken care of you, even if he was a traitor now. Some people might, but not Annabeth.

** Her forehead broke out in sweat again. The story was taking too much of her energy. "It's okay," I said. "Try to get some rest." **

**"You don't understand, Percy. Hermes was right. Maybe if I'd gone with him, I could've changed his mind. Or-or I had a knife. Luke was unarmed. I could've-" **

Some people were thinking she should have. What was one life in comparison to everyone that had already died? But those people didn't know anything.

**"Killed him?" I said. "You know that wouldn't have been right."**

** She squeezed her eyes shut. "Luke said Kronos would use him like a stepping stone. Those were his exact words. Kronos would use Luke, and become even more powerful." **

Didn't he already do that? Marisa thought. But something told her that wasn't right, that there was more.

**"He did that," I said. "He possessed Luke's body." **

**"But what if Luke's body is only a transition? What if Kronos has a plan to become even more powerful? I could've stopped him. The war is my fault." **

The mortals all (maybe not all, but most) shook their heads. How could it be Annabeth's fault? It was Kronos fault, Luke's fault, the gods fault! But not Annabeth's.

**Her story made me feel like I was back in the Styx, slowly dissolving. I remembered last summer, when the two-headed god, Janus, had warned Annabeth she would have to make a major choice-and that had happened after she saw Luke. Pan had also said something to her: You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined.**

"Wow." Carlos muttered. "It seems like you guys meet gods on a daily basis.

** I wanted to ask her about the vision Hestia had shown me, about her early days with Luke and Thalia. I knew it had something to do with my prophecy, but I didn't understand what. **

What the Hades could it do with the prophecy? The mortals thought. But of course, what did they know?

**Before I could get up my nerve, the terrace door opened. Connor Stoll stepped through. "Percy." **

"Great timing Stoll." Rachel cursed. Being the Oracle, she knew all about timing.

**He glanced at Annabeth like he didn't want to say anything bad in front of her, but I could tell he wasn't bringing good news. **

"Great more bad news." Leila muttered. Just what they needed.

**"Mrs. O'Leary just came back with Grover. I think you should talk to him." Grover was having a snack in the living room. He was dressed for battle in an armored shirt made from tree bark and twist ties, with his wooden cudgel and his reed pipes hanging from his belt. **

The mortals blinked for a moment. The satyr just described to them didn't seem like the nervous, fidgety one they had met.

**The Demeter cabin had whipped up a whole buffet in the hotel kitchens-everything from pizza to pineapple ice cream.**

"Pineapple ice cream." Andrew said in disgust. "I'll stick with the pizza."

** Unfortunately, Grover was eating the furniture. **

Everyone burst into laughter. And these were the people saving the world.

**He'd already chewed the stuffing off a fancy chair and was now gnawing the armrest. "Dude," I said, "we're only borrowing this place." **

Kids were still cracking up.

**"Blah-ha-ha!" He had stuffing all over his face. "Sorry, Percy. It's just . . . Louis the Sixteenth furniture. Delicious. **

"Wow." Hailey said. "Even the satyrs are high maintenance."

**Plus I always eat furniture when I get-"**

** "When you get nervous," I said. "Yeah, I know. So what's up?"**

**"**Oh you know the usual. States are being destroyed; almost everyone in Manhattan is asleep." Brett said nonchalantly. 

**He clopped on his hooves. "I heard about Annabeth. Is she . . . ?" **

**"She's going to be fine. She's resting." **

**Grover took a deep breath. "That's good. I've mobilized most of the nature spirits in the city-well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway." He rubbed his forehead. "I had no idea acorns could hurt so much.**

A couple people smirked, saving that information for later.

** Anyway, we're helping out as much as we can." He told me about the skirmishes they'd seen. Mostly they'd been covering uptown, where we didn't have enough demigods. Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside our lines and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting them off. A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated. **

"So…" A Todd said. "Dragons aren't nice?"

"No." Percy said a little bewildered. "Why would you think that?"

"No reason." He muttered, but he was thinking about the movie How to Train Your Dragon. No one had to know that.

**As Grover talked, Thalia entered the room with two of her lieutenants. She nodded to me grimly, went outside to check on Annabeth, and came back in. She listened while Grover completed his report-the details getting worse and worse. **

"Doesn't anything ever get better?" Leila said.

**"We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington," he said, his voice trembling. "Almost half my kinsmen. River spirits drowned the giants in the end, but . . ." **

Some people knew what he meant. It didn't really matter if the monster was defeated; if so many had died trying.

**Thalia shouldered her bow. "Percy, Kronos's forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel. And Kronos isn't the only Titan. One of my Hunters spotted a huge man in golden armor mustering an army on the Jersey shore. I'm not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god." I remembered the golden Titan from my dream-the one on Mount Othrys who erupted into flames. "Great," I said. "Any good news?" **

"Of course not." Leila muttered. "That would be too much to ask for."

**Thalia shrugged. "We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. Also, it seems like the enemy is waiting for tonight to attack. I think Luke"-she caught herself-"I mean Kronos needs time to regenerate after each fight. He's still not comfortable with his new form. It's taking a lot of his power to slow time around the city." **

"Well that's good." Andrew said. "Just get them when they're not prepared."

"Yeah." Percy said. "But we're not ready either. Well Kronos regenerates we have to too."

Grover nodded. "Most of his forces are more powerful at night, too. But they'll be back after sundown."

**I tried to think clearly. "Okay. Any word from the gods?" **

**Thalia shook her head. "I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could. Athena, too. But Zeus has ordered them to stay at his side. The last I heard, Typhon was destroying the Ohio River valley. He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by midday." **

The mortals became uneasy. Even if the demigods succeeded, Typhon could still destroy the country.

**"So at best," I said, "we've got another two days before he arrives." Jake Mason cleared his throat. He'd been standing there so silently I'd almost forgotten he was in the room. **

Two days, Leila mused. That wasn't long.

**"Percy, something else," he said. "The way Kronos showed up at the Williamsburg Bridge, like he knew you were going there. And he shifted his forces to our weakest points. As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics. He barely touched the Lincoln Tunnel, where the Hunters were strong. He went for our weakest spots, like he knew." **

"The spy." Rachel whispered, thinking about Silena.

**"Like he had inside information," I said. "The spy."**

** "What spy?" Thalia demanded. I told her about the silver charm Kronos had shown me, the communication device. **

This all brought the mortals thinking. Who was the spy? Not one of them suspected the real culprit.

**"That's bad," she said. "Very bad." **

"No duh." Andrew said, but he wasn't really in it. That was bad.

**"It could be anyone," Jake said. "We were all standing there when Percy gave the orders." **

**"But what can we do?" Grover asked. "Frisk every demigod until we find a scythe charm?" **

"That would be funny." Brett said laughing lightly but stopped after a glare from Hailey.

**They all looked at me, waiting for a decision. I couldn't afford to show how panicked I felt, even if things seemed hopeless. "We keep fighting," I said. "We can't obsess about this spy. If we're suspicious of each other, we'll just tear ourselves apart. You guys were awesome last night. I couldn't ask for a braver army. Let's set up a rotation for the watches. Rest up while you can. We've got a long night ahead of us." The demigods mumbled agreement. They went their separate ways to sleep or eat or repair their weapons. **

Paul was kind of shocked. These weren't adult soldiers who spent their lives training for a life like this, who went through battle tactics daily. They were just kids and yet they did everything so calmly. And leading them all was his step-son.

**"Percy, you too," Thalia said. "We'll keep an eye on things. Go lie down. We need you in good shape for tonight." I didn't argue too hard. I found the nearest bedroom and crashed on the canopied bed. I thought I was too wired to sleep, but my eyes closed almost immediately. **

Rachel leaned forward, curious about his dream. Not that she was a stalker but she wanted to know what demigod dreams were like.

**In my dream, I saw Nico di Angelo alone in the gardens of Hades. He'd just dug a hole in one of Persephone's flower beds, which I didn't figure would make the queen very happy. He poured a goblet of wine into the hole and began to chant. "Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering. Maria di Angelo, show yourself!" **

Well that was fitting, the mortals thought a little taken back. The creepy little boy could summon the dead.

**White smoke gathered. A human figure formed, but it wasn't Nico's mother. It was a girl with dark hair, olive skin, and the silvery clothes of a Hunter. "Bianca," Nico said. **

"Bianca?" Cara asked. "Who's that?"

"Nico's sister." Percy filled in. "Former huntress."

"I didn't know he had a sister."

"Well she's dead now."

"No duh, I got that."

**"But-" **

**Don't summon our mother, Nico, she warned. She is the one spirit you are forbidden to see. **

"Well that's harsh." Leila said. Able to see any spirit you want except your own mother.

**"Why?" he demanded. "What's our father hiding?" **

**Pain, Bianca said. Hatred. A curse that stretches back to the Great Prophecy. **

"Why does everything seem to be connected to the Great Prophecy?" Todd groaned.

"Well it is the Great Prophecy for a reason." Rachel pointed out.

**"What do you mean?" Nico said. "I have to know!" **

**The knowledge will only hurt you. Remember what I said: holding grudges is a fatal flaw for children of Hades. **

"What's your fatal flaw?" Leila asked.

"Loyalty." Percy answered immediately.

Fitting. "How is that a flaw?" Leila asked in confusion. Loyalty was supposed to be a good thing.

"You'd be surprised." Rachel said sharing a look with Percy.

"I know that, " Nico said. "But I'm not the same as I used to be, Bianca. Stop trying to protect me!"

**Brother, you don't understand- Nico swiped his hand through the mist, and Bianca's image dissipated. "Maria di Angelo," he said again. "Speak to me!" **

Hailey rolled her eyes. "He should be listening to his sister."

**A different image formed. It was a scene rather than a single ghost. In the mist, I saw Nico and Bianca as little children, playing in the lobby of an elegant hotel, chasing each other around marble columns. A woman sat on a nearby sofa. She wore a black dress, gloves, and a black veiled hat like a star from an old 1940s movie. **

"That's because there from the 1940's idiot." Rachel said with a roll of her eyes.

**She had Bianca's smile and Nico's eyes. On a chair next to her sat a large oily man in a black pinstripe suit. With a shock, I realized it was Hades. He was leaning toward the woman, using his hands as he talked, like he was agitated. "Please, my dear," he said. "You must come to the Underworld. I don't care what Persephone thinks! I can keep you safe there." **

"Persephone would defiantly be pissed." Andrew said. "Bringing your lover to live with your wife? Not a good idea."

**"No, my love." She spoke with an Italian accent. "Raise our children in the land of the dead? I will not do this."**

"That would be so cool." Eric yelled. Only he would think that.

**"Maria, listen to me. The war in Europe has turned the other gods against me. A prophecy has been made. My children are no longer safe. Poseidon and Zeus have forced me into an agreement. None of us are to have demigod children ever again." **

"And look how well that turned out." Percy snorted. Hades was the only one who kept the oath.

"But you already have Nico and Bianca. Surely-"

** "No! The prophecy warns of a child who turns sixteen. Zeus has decreed that the children I currently have must be turned over to Camp Half-Blood for proper training, but I know what he means. At best they'll be watched, imprisoned, turned against their father. Even more likely, he will not take a chance. He won't allow my demigod children to reach sixteen. He'll find a way to destroy them, and I won't risk that!" **

"Zeus wouldn't do that, would he?" Cara asked hesitantly. It seemed so cruel.

"Oh he would." Percy said, and he knew that first hand. Thunder rumbled, but Percy ignored it. The mortals cringed like they expected to be blasted.

**"Certamente,"Maria said. "We will stay together. Zeus is an imbecile." **

Thunder rumbled again.

**I couldn't help admiring her courage, but Hades glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Maria, please. I told you, Zeus gave me a deadline of last week to turn over the children. His wrath will be horrible, and I cannot hide you forever. As long as you are with the children, you are in danger too." **

"I always thought Hades was heartless." Andrew muttered.

**Maria smiled, and again it was creepy how much she looked like her daughter. "You are a god, my love. You will protect us. But I will not take Nico and Bianca to the Underworld." **

There's only so much a god can do, Percy thought sadly.

**Hades wrung his hands. "Then, there is another option. I know a place in the desert where time stands still. I could send the children there, just for a while, for their own safety, and we could be together. I will build you a golden palace by the Styx." **

"Wow., who could turn down that?" Samantha smiled. "All eternity with a god in a palace? Sounds sweet."

**Maria di Angelo laughed gently. "You are a kind man, my love. A generous man. The other gods should see you as I do, and they would not fear you so. But Nico and Bianca need their mother. Besides, they are only children. The gods wouldn't really hurt them." **

"Yes they would." Percy said darkly, remembering when the council voted on whether to kill him or not. The mortals shivered. This book was not helping their view on the gods.

**"You don't know my family," Hades said darkly. "Please, Maria, I can't lose you."**

"Even the god of death is romantic." Samantha cooed. A lot more so than the gods in her grade.

**She touched his lips with her fingers. "You will not lose me. Wait for me while I get my purse. Watch the children." She kissed the lord of the dead and rose from the sofa. Hades watched her walk upstairs as if her every step away caused him pain. A moment later, he tensed. The children stopped playing as if they sensed something too. "No!" Hades said. But even his godly powers were too slow. He only had time to erect a wall of black energy around the children before the hotel exploded. The force was so violent, the entire mist image dissolved. When it came into focus again, I saw Hades kneeling in the ruins, holding the broken form of Maria di Angelo. Fires still burned all around him. Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder rumbled.**

It was quiet for a moment as it sank in. Zeus had just murdered Maria di Angelo for no reason and had intended to murder children. Children! The king of the gods was not who they first thought he was.

** Little Nico and Bianca stared at their mother uncomprehendingly. **

At least the children were safe, Leila thought shakily.

**The Fury Alecto appeared behind them, hissing and flapping her leathery wings. The children didn't seem to notice her. "Zeus!" Hades shook his fist at the sky. "I will crush you for this! I will bring her back!" **

"The lord of the dead breaking his own rules." Carlos said under his breath.

**"My lord, you cannot," Alecto warned. "You of all immortals must respect the laws of death." Hades glowed with rage. I thought he would show his true form and vaporize his own children, but at the last moment he seemed to regain control. "Take them," he told Alecto, choking back a sob. "Wash their memories clean in the Lethe and bring them to the Lotus Hotel. **

"What in Hades is the Lethe?" Todd asked.

"It's a river in the Underworld." Percy told him. "It wipes away your memories. It's powerful enough to work on a Titan. People go there before they get reborn."

"Oh. Seems pleasant."

**Zeus will not harm them there." **

**"As you wish, my lord," Alecto said. "And the woman's body?" **

**"Take her as well," he said bitterly. "Give her the ancient rites." Alecto, the children, and Maria's body dissolved into shadows, leaving Hades alone in the ruins. "I warned you," a new voice said. Hades turned. A girl in a multicolored dress stood by the smoldering remains of the sofa. She had short black hair and sad eyes. She was no more than twelve. I didn't know her, but she looked strangely familiar. **

"How would you know someone from the 1940's?" Hailey asked. Percy didn't answer, just gave a mysterious smile.

**"You dare come here?" Hades growled. "I should blast you to dust!" **

**"You cannot," the girl said. "The power of Delphi protects me." **

Rachel smiled, realizing it was the old Oracle. She was happy she would now truly know what had happened to her.

**With a chill, I realized I was looking at the Oracle of Delphi, back when she was alive and young. Somehow, seeing her like this was even spookier than seeing her as a mummy. **

The mortals eyes widened. That was pretty creepy.

**"You've killed the woman I loved!" Hades roared. "Your prophecy brought us to this. '" **

"That's not fair." Rachel defended. "It wasn't her fault. She's just the messenger."

**He loomed over the girl, but she didn't flinch. "Zeus ordained the explosion to destroy the children," she said, "because you defied his will. I had nothing to do with it. And I did warn you to hide them sooner."**

"Wow, she has guts, standing up to Hades." Hailey said. She wouldn't have been able to do that.

** "I couldn't! Maria would not let me! Besides, they were innocent." **

**"Nevertheless, they are your children, which makes them dangerous. Even if you put them away in the Lotus Hotel, you only delay the problem. Nico and Bianca will never be able to rejoin the world lest they turn sixteen."**

"Well someone was wrong." Rachel said. Who knew even the Oracle could be wrong?

** "Because of your so-called Great Prophecy. And you have forced me into an oath to have no other children. You have left me with nothing!"**

"Um, don't you still have a whole kingdom of dead people and riches?" Brett asked.

Hailey rolled her eyes. "Boys don't understand anything." She said. Percy figured she would make a good huntress.

** "I foresee the future," the girl said. "I cannot change it." **

"Bad move." Rachel said under her breath.

**Black fire lit the god's eyes, and I knew something bad was coming. I wanted to yell at the girl to hide or run. "Then, Oracle, hear the words of Hades," he growled. "Perhaps I cannot bring back Maria. Nor can I bring yon an early death. But your soul is still mortal, and I can curse you." **

The mortals' eyes widened. Maybe Hades was as cruel as they first thought.

The girl's eyes widened. "You would not-"

** "I swear, " Hades said, "as long as my children remain outcasts, as long as I labor under the curse of your Great Prophecy, the Oracle of Delphi will never have another mortal host. You will never rest in peace. No other will take your place. Your body will wither and die, and still the Oracle's spirit will be locked inside you. You will speak your bitter prophecies until you crumble to nothing. The Oracle will die with you!" **

The room went still and quiet. That was way worse than death. Rachel was shivering. She would never get on a gods bad side.

**The girl screamed, and the misty image was blasted to shreds. Nico fell to his knees in Persephone's garden, his face white with shock. **

Bianca was right; it would only hurt him.

**Standing in front of him was the real Hades, towering in his black robes and scowling down at his son. "And just what," he asked Nico, "do you think you're doing?" A black explosion filled my dreams. Then the scene changed. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was walking along a white sand beach. **

"Look Rachel your mentioned!" Brett yelled. Rachel just rolled her eyes at him.

**She wore a swimsuit with a T-shirt wrapped around her waist. Her shoulders and face were sunburned. She knelt and began writing in the surf with her finger. I tried to make out the letters. I thought my dyslexia was acting up until I realized she was writing in Ancient Greek. **

"You know Ancient Greek?" Marisa asked in surprise.

"No." Rachel said smirking at Marisa's baffled look. Paul continued to read before more conversation could break out.

**That was impossible. The dream had to be false. **

Rachel shook her head. Demigod dreams rarely were.

**Rachel finished writing a few words and muttered, "What in the world?" I can read Greek, but I only recognized one word before the sea washed it away: My name: Perseus. **

Samantha raised her eyebrows at Rachel who rolled her eyes and looked away.

**Rachel stood abruptly and backed away from the surf. "Oh, gods," she said. "That's what it means." **

"That's what what means?!" a kid cried. Something was up with Rachel.

**She turned and ran, kicking up sand as she raced back to her family's villa. She pounded up the porch steps, breathing hard. Her father looked up from his Wall Street Journal "Dad." Rachel marched up to him. "We have to go back." **

"Back?" Marisa asked. "As in back to Manhatten?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Just listen to the story!" she cried.

**Her dad's mouth twitched, like he was trying to remember how to smile. "Back? We just got here." **

"Exactly!"

"There's trouble in New York. Percy's in danger."

"How did you know that?" Marisa asked skeptically.

"Maybe I have good instincts." Rachel said in an ominous tone. This

** "Did he call you?" **

"No." Marisa said giving Rachel a look.

**"No . . . Not exactly. But I know. It's a feeling." **

**Mr. Dare folded his newspaper. "Your mother and I have been looking forward to this vacation for a long time." **

"Why do I feel like that's a lie?" Cara muttered.

"Because it is." Rachel said.

**"No you haven't! You both hate the beach! You're just too stubborn to admit it."**

"Now I know where you get it from." Percy said. Rachel bit back the temptation to slug him.

**"Now, Rachel-" **

**"I'm telling you something is wrong in New York! The whole city . . . I don't know what exactly, but it's under attack."**

"He won't believe you." Hailey said.

**Her father sighed. "I think we would've heard something like that on the news." **

"Not if the whole city is asleep and no one can get in or out." Brett said. "Really, he should be thinking of these things." Rachel bit back a laugh as she remembered her dads face after the mist had been unveiled and she had told him about being the Oracle.

**"No," Rachel insisted. "Not this kind of attack. Have you had any calls since we got here?" **

**Her father frowned. "No . . . But it is the weekend, in the middle of the summer." **

**"You always get calls, " Rachel said. "You've got to admit that's strange." **

"Not strange enough to believe in gods and all this craziness." Hailey pointed out. She was reminded of how in denial everyone had been, even after the mist was gone.

**Her father hesitated. "We can't just leave. We've spent a lot of money." **

"Like money matters to him." Rachel snorted. "He throws it around like it grows on trees."

**"Look," Rachel said. "Daddy . . . **

"Playing the daddy card are you?" Todd said. "Nicely played."

**Percy needs me. I have to deliver a message. It's life or death." **

Marisa narrowed her eyes, hating how she didn't understand how Rachel was connected to all this."

**"What message? What are you talking about?"**

"Yeah what are you talking about?" a kid cried. Apparently Marisa wasn't the only one frustrated.

** "I can't tell you."**

** "Then you can't go." **

**Rachel closed her eyes like she was getting up her courage. "Dad . . . Let me go, and I'll make a deal with you." **

**Mr. Dare sat forward. Deals were something he understood. "I'm listening."**

** "Clarion Ladies Academy. I'll-I'll go there in the fall. I won't even complain. But you have to get me back to New York right now."**

"Must be pretty important." Leila said. She understood how much Rachel didn't want to go and if she was willing to just like that…

** He was silent for a long time. Then he opened his phone and made a call. "Douglas? Prep the plane. We're leaving for New York. Yes . . . Immediately." Rachel flung her arms around him, and her father seemed surprised, like she'd never hugged him before. **

Rachel shrugged her shoulders at the odd looks she was getting. 'I just don't do it often."

**"I'll make it up to you, Dad!" He smiled, but his expression was chilly. He studied her like he wasn't seeing his daughter-just the young lady he wanted her to be, once Clarion Academy got through with her.**

** "Yes, Rachel," he agreed. "You most certainly will." The scene faded. I mumbled in my sleep: "Rachel, no!" I was still tossing and turning when Thalia shook me awake. **

**"Percy," she said. "Come on. It's late afternoon. We've got visitors." **

"Visitors as in reinforcements?" Leila said hopefully. Of course she was wrong."

**I sat up, disoriented. The bed was too comfortable, and I hated sleeping in the middle of the day. "Visitors?" I said. Thalia nodded grimly. "A Titan wants to see you, under a flag of truce. He has a message from Kronos. "**

**I want to say something about reviews. I love them I really do, but if you just say plz update, it doesn't mean anything. Tell me what you liked about the chapter, what you didn't like, ways to improve m writing etc. With that said can we get to 500? That would be great! So review and I hope you enjoyed!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, it's been a while. It's been about a week and I still don't have a full chapter. Errr. But here's the deal: I get pretty much all my writing done over the weekend. And this weekend I'm going camping. (Yeah! So exited), so I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again. With school work (Yes, my summer vacation still hasn't started, well I know some places have) and finals coming I'll be really busy. I'm actually posting this well I'm in class well I'm supposed to be doing research work. I wanted to give you something before I disappeared for gods knows how long. Enjoy! **

Percy was seriously late. It wasn't his fault car broke down! He rushed into the classroom, his excuse already on his lips when he stopped dead in his tracks at the door.

The first thing he noticed was his class. Everyone was huddled up by the wall, with terrified looks on their faces, like they were about to pee their pants. Some kids were crying, choking on panicked sobs. Even Jared, which Percy found hilarious, but that was for another time. Percy was surprised no one had screamed yet. He saw Paul standing in front of them, and well he tried to be brave you could see the panic.

The next thing Percy noticed was the dracaenae, watching the class with a hungry eye. It hadn't attacked yet. There were no demigods in the class, and monsters didn't eat mortals. Probably tasted bad. Percy betted that it had come smelling his and the other demigods that had been coming and going scents'. And now that he, a powerful demigod, walked in, the dracaenae turned its gaze on him.

Percy groaned; he didn't have time for this. With a swift motion he pulled out Riptide and advanced on the monster. As he approached it cackled. "Delicious, delicious demigod!" It screeched, than dove at him.

Percy stepped aside easily, swinging his sword at the same time. He got a pretty decent hit in, but that would be too easy if it just disinigrated now. Percy let his ADHD take over slashing and stabbing until the dracaenae was a pile of golden dust and he had escaped with only a small scrape on his arm. Really, this was getting too simple. **(A/N Okay I am really sorry for that. I cannot write fight scenes for my life, even if it's just Percy fighting a monster.)**

Now that that was taken care of, Percy turned to his class. The terror was still plainly there, some were shaking, but now there was awe mixed in there too. They had heard about what Percy could do but now being able to actually see it… They were amazed. He was just so good with the sword it was like an extension of him. No wonder they won the war!

Paul straightened. "Er, thank you Percy." He said. His voice was calm and collected but he was still slightly pale. "Now that that little incident is over we should start class." During the little fight, some desks had been flipped over, but after a lot of shuffling around and fixing things they managed to get settled.

"My dad will be hearing about this!" Samantha had called out at one point. "He'll sue!" She was ignored.

Some girls were still crying lightly; letting some eager boys comfort them, acting all tough. Everyone was still staring at Percy though. Percy to the rescue again! Said rescuer was not happy at all though. He slunk away from the stares wishing he could disappear. School just kept getting worse.

After a couple minutes they finally began the chapter.

**We could see the white flag from half a mile away. It was as big as a soccer field, carried by a thirty-foot-tall giant with bright blue skin and icy gray hair. **

"A giant." Marisa muttered. She was still shaken. It was one thing to see a monster in a book and a completely different thing to see it in person. And that wasn't even the scariest one.

**"A Hyperborean," Thalia said. "The giants of the north. It's a bad sign that they sided with Kronos. They're usually peaceful."**

"Why does everyone/everything seem to doubt the gods?" Carlos mumbled. "The good guys always win." Percy didn't bother telling him that that only happened in the stories. And the gods weren't exactly 'good' either.

**"You've met them?" I said. **

**"Mmm. There's a big colony in Alberta. You do not want to get into a snowball fight with those guys. " **

"That would be so cool!" Brett yelled.

Hailey rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. There snowballs would probably be a million times your size."

**As the giant got closer, I could see three human-size envoys with him: a half-blood in armor, an empousa demis on with a black dress and flaming hair, and a tall man in a tuxedo. **

"Well isn't that an interesting group." Andrew said.

**The empousa held the tux dude's arm, so they looked like a couple on their way to a Broadway show or something- except for her flaming hair and fangs. **

"That's defiantly a problem." Samantha said, absentmindedly. The fangs would get in the way when they kissed, she thought.

**The group walked leisurely toward the Heckscher Playground. The swings and ball courts were empty. The only sound was the fountain on Umpire Rock. I looked at Grover. "The tux dude is the Titan?" **

"Well then." Jared said. There he was. Hadn't heard from him in a while. "I thought all titans were supposed to be big and scary, you know all powerful. He doesn't seem like much." Percy decided not to say anything and keep his mouth shut. Shocking I know. Sometimes words could be pretty powerful themselves. Also this was the man that gave that gave them fire, that gave them life.

**He nodded nervously. "He looks like a magician. I hate magicians. They usually have rabbits." **

"What do rabbits have to do with anything…?" Cara asked quizzically.

**I stared at him. "You're scared of bunnies?" **

The class erupted into laughter.

**"Blah-hah-hah! They're big bullies. Always stealing celery from defenseless satyrs!" **

"Oh my gods." Everyone was laughing hard, doubling over. Bunnies! The bully bunnies were stealing from defenseless satyrs. Defenseless my butt! They seemed to be doing a pretty good job killing monsters.

**Thalia coughed. "What?" Grover demanded. **

**"We'll have to work on your bunny phobia later," **

"Bunny phobia." Marisa mused. "Never heard of that."

**I said. "Here they come." The man in the tux stepped forward. He was taller than an average human-about seven feet. His black hair was tied in a ponytail. Dark round glasses covered his eyes, but what really caught my attention was the skin on his face. **

"Was it blue and scaly like an alien?!" Brett said excitedly bouncing in his seat.

"Um, no." Percy said giving Brett a very odd look which he didn't think was fair considering some of the things Percy thought/said.

**It was covered in scratches, like he'd been attacked by a small animal-a really, really mad hamster, maybe. **

"And you think a hamster, no matter how mad would leave a mark on a Titan?" Marisa asked.

"Jeez." Percy mumbled. "Just trying to get a point across."

**"Percy Jackson," he said in a silky voice. "It's a great honor." **

"Hah!" Percy said suddenly. "Even Titans are honored to see me, so you should be bowing at my feet." No one commented, except or giving a couple eye rolls and looks.

**His lady friend, the empousa, hissed at me. She'd probably heard how I'd destroyed two of her sisters last summer. **

"Wait!" Percy said quickly holding up his hand. "You remember when I supposedly blow up the band room at the introduction thingy last year?" Of course, who could forget? "Well it wasn't my fault it was the stupid empousas'!" No one was really shocked. Of course it would be a monsters fault. That was actually a pretty good excuse.

**"My dear," Tux Dude said to her. **

"Tux Dude." Cara said, raising an eyebrow. "You are horrible at nicknames."

**"Why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?" She released his arm and drifted over to a park bench. I glanced at the armed demigod behind Tux Dude. I hadn't recognized him in his new helmet, but it was my old backstabbing buddy Ethan Nakamura. **

"Well everyone needs a backstabbing buddy!" Hailey said dryly.

**His nose looked like a squashed tomato from our fight on the Williamsburg Bridge. **

"Serves you right!" Andrew yelled.

**That made me feel better. "Hey, Ethan," I said. "You're looking good." **

**Ethan glared at me. "To business." Tux Dude extended his hand. "I am Prometheus." **

"Prometheus." The name was whispered around the room. He was the Titan who gave them fire. He might have saved them from eternal coldness all those years ago but now he was basically trying to wipe out the human race. Marisa seemed to be the only one wondering how he had escaped his torture. She was also reminded that last Titan War; he had sided with the gods, despite being a Titan.

**I was too surprised to shake. "The fire-stealer guy? The chained-to- the-rock-with-the-vultures guy?" **

"Well that's one way to put it." Marisa muttered. She swore he annoyed the hades out of her sometimes.

**Prometheus winced. He touched the scratches on his face. "Please, don't mention the vultures. But yes, I stole fire from the gods and gave it to your ancestors. In return, the ever merciful Zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity." **

"Well when you put it like that it sounds cruel." Samantha said wrinkling her nose.

The class rolled their eyes. "That's because it is cruel." Leila said. He didn't deserve that for doing something good, although she wouldn't mind him being tortured now.

**"But-" **

**"How did I get free? Hercules did that, eons ago. So you see, I have a soft spot for heroes. **

"And now you're trying to get them all killed." Leila scowled.

**Some of you can be quite civilized." **

"Emphasis on the some." Hailey muttered, sending a look at Percy who didn't seem to notice the looks he was getting.

**"Unlike the company you keep," I noticed. I was looking at Ethan, but Prometheus apparently thought I meant the empousa. "Oh, demons aren't so bad," he said. **

"Aren't so bad my butt.' Percy grumbled. "Always trying to get me killed."

**You just have to keep them well fed.**

"With demigods!" Percy interrupted again.

** Now, Percy Jackson, let us parley." He waved me toward a picnic table and we sat down. Thalia and Grover stood behind me. The blue giant propped his white flag against a tree and began absently playing on the playground. **

"Okay than." Carlos mumbled. "Killer giants act like little kids. Sweet."

**He stepped on the monkey bars and crushed them, but he didn't seem angry. He just frowned and said, "Uh-oh." **

"Well." Cara said among the laughing kids. "Now we know what happened to that." So many things were fitting together, yet there also seemed to be even more confusing questions.

**Then he stepped in the fountain and broke the concrete bowl in half. "Uh-oh." **

"He's destroying our park!" Brett yelled, doubled over with laughter.

**The water froze where his foot touched it. A bunch of stuffed animals hung from his belt-the huge kind you get for grand prizes at an arcade. **

"Stuffed animals?" Marisa asked. "Or real animals?"

Percy scrunched his eyebrows together. "I'm pretty sure they were stuffed."

**He reminded me of Tyson, and the idea of fighting him made me sad. **

"Yeah but Tyson seems big and sweet. This giant would easily squash you under thought without giving it a thought." Leila said comfortably.

**Prometheus sat forward and laced his fingers. He looked earnest, kindly, and wise.**

"Yeah, but Prometheus is known for being a trickster." Marisa mumbled. She couldn't figure out why he was here.

** "Percy, your position is weak. You know you can't stop another assault." **

"You never know." Leila said, but even she knew they couldn't. Not unless they got back up.

**"We'll see." **

**Prometheus looked pained, like he really cared what happened to me.**

It's a trick, Marisa thought to herself, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe not…

** "Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen." **

"Sure you do." Percy scowled. "If you knew what was going to happen you wouldn't have fought with the Titans."

**"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Grover put in. "Emphasis on crafty." **

"You got that right." Cara said, but at this point she wasn't sure what to think.

**Prometheus shrugged. "True enough, satyr. But I supported the gods in the last war. I told Kronos: 'You don't have the strength. You'll lose.' And I was right. So you see, I know how to pick the winning side. This time, I'm backing Kronos."**

Percy snorted. "Bad choice." He muttered. He disliked Prometheus a lot. The little creep.

** "Because Zeus chained you to a rock," I guessed. **

Marisa blinked, getting it for the first time. It was all about revenge, spiting the gods.

**"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason I'm supporting Kronos. It's the wisest choice. **

A lot of people scowled. Sure they were losing now but you never know what could happen.

**I'm here because I thought you might listen to reason." He drew a map on the table with his finger. Wherever he touched, golden lines appeared, glowing on the concrete. "This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."**

Some people gasped. They didn't know Kronos had that many allies. The reinforcement better get here soon…

** "Your spy has been keeping you posted," I guessed.**

Paul looked up from the book, stopping for a moment. "Does anyone have a prediction who the spy is?" he asked. Absolute silence. No one had a clue, no one was acting suspicious.

** Prometheus smiled apologetically. **

**"At any rate, our forces are growing daily. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed. You've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of Manhattan. You'll be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen." **

"Yeah right." Andrew scoffed. He was just a Titan, another enemy and he was wrong. No matter what he had done in his past Andrew was not grateful.

**I thought about the picture Rachel had drawn in my dreams-an army at the base of the Empire State Building. I remembered the words of the young girl Oracle in my dream: I foresee the future. I cannot change it. **

Marisa a scrunched her eyebrows making a small connection… Nothing.

**Prometheus spoke with such certainty it was hard not to believe him. **

Leila huffed. "That's why he's a trickster. He's known for being cunning and deceiving."

**"I won't let it happen," I said. Prometheus brushed a speck off his tux lapel. "Understand, Percy. You are refighting the Trojan War here. Patterns repeat themselves in history. They reappear just as monsters do. A great siege. Two armies. The only difference is, this time you are defending. You are Troy. And you know what happened to the Trojans, don't you?"**

"They lose." Carlos said trying not to believe the same thing would happen to them. "They burn to the ground."

** "So you're going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at the Empire State Building?" I asked. **

The class laughed, breaking the tension. Only Percy.

**"Good luck." Prometheus smiled. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods."**

"I doubt Kronos would spare New York." Hailey said. "He would happily destroy it."

**"Right," I said. "And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city." **

Hailey smiled slightly at that.

**"All he wants is Olympus," Prometheus promised. "The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power. You saw what happened to Poseidon once his undersea palace was attacked." **

"He started aging. Getting weaker." Marisa whispered. Once you attack the 'source' of their power, there defenseless, sort of.

**I winced, remembering how old and decrepit my father looked. "Yes," Prometheus said sadly. "I know that was hard for you. When Kronos destroys Olympus, the gods will fade. They will become so weak they will be easily defeated. Kronos would rather do this while Typhon has the Olympians distracted in the west. Much easier. Fewer lives lost. But make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down. The day after tomorrow, Typhon arrives in New York, and you will have no chance at all. The gods and Mount Olympus will still be destroyed, but it will be much messier. Much, much worse for you and your city. Either way, the Titans will rule." **

The mortals blinked, like coming out of a daze. He made it sound so… simple. Surrender, and the city won't be destroyed, you could save your lives. But he was a Titan and it was all one big lie.

**Thalia pounded her fist on the table. "I serve Artemis. The Hunters will fight to our last breath. Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?" **

A couple kids winced. No matter how much they were starting to hate this guy he was still a Titan and extremely powerful. He could kill them without a second thought and immortal beings had short tempers.

**I figured Prometheus was going to blast her, but he just smiled. "Your courage does you credit, Thalia Grace." **

Grace. So that was her last name.

**Thalia stiffened. "That's my mother's surname. I don't use it."**

** "As you wish," Prometheus said casually, but I could tell he'd gotten under her skin. **

"What so bad about a last name?" Carlos asked. Sure, he wasn't exactly in love with his but really? Did it matter? Percy shrugged. He wasn't real sure why Thalia hated using her last name so much.

**I'd never even heard Thalia's last name before. Somehow it made her seem almost normal. **

"And we can't have that." Brett smiled. He wished she wasn't a huntress cause she was smokin'.

**Less mysterious and powerful. "At any rate," the Titan said, "you need not be my enemy. I have always been a helper of mankind."**

"Not right now, no matter what you say." Leila spat angrily

** "That's a load of Minotaur dung," Thalia said. "When mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. You gave us fire to annoy the gods, not because you cared about us."**

The mortals were a little surprised about. Why would he suffer torture just to annoy the gods? But Percy knew. He wanted to be defiant, let them knew they didn't have him on a leash.

** Prometheus shook his head. "You don't understand. I helped shape your nature." **

"And now you're destroying that nature." Cara said bitterly.

**A wiggling lump of clay appeared in his hands. He fashioned it into a little doll with legs and arms. The lump man didn't have any eyes, but it groped around the table, stumbling over Prometheus's fingers. "I have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. I represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. Help me save you, Percy. Do this, and I will give mankind a new gift-a new revelation that will move you as far for- ward as fire did. You can't make that kind of advance under the gods. They would never allow it. But this could be a new golden age for you. **

"Yeah right.' Marisa said hesitantly. "Kronos probably wants to destroy all the humans." But still there was still a nagging feeling he was right…

**Or . . ." He made a fist and smashed the clay man into a pancake. **

"Yikes." That wasn't good.

**The blue giant rumbled, "Uh-oh." Over at the park bench, the empousa bared her fangs in a smile. "Percy, you know the Titans and their offspring are not all bad," Prometheus said. "You've met Calypso." **

No one knew who Calypso was, so they just kept quiet.

**My face felt hot. "That's different." **

Samantha squealed softly. Now she was even more curious to whom Calypso was but not enough to ask.

**"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas's daughter. We are not your enemies. **

"Last time I checked you were trying to destroy our town, so you are the enemy." Todd muttered.

**Don't let the worst happen," he pleaded. "We offer you peace." **

"If you want peace then you back down." Leila scowled.

**I looked at Ethan Nakamura. "You must hate this."**

They had all forgotten Ethan was there.

** "I don't know what you mean." **

**"If we took this deal, you wouldn't get revenge. You wouldn't get to kill us all. Isn't that what you want?" **

**His good eye flared. "All I want is respect, Jackson. The gods never gave me that. You wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the Hermes cabin because I'm not important? Not even recognized?" **

He did have a point, some thought. But that didn't mean he had to help destroy everything. Sometimes you had to suffer. But, they were all just thinking that. Would they be able to just sit back and suffer? Maybe not.

**He sounded just like Luke when he'd tried to kill me in the woods at camp four years ago. The memory made my hand ache where the pit scorpion had stung me.**

"Whoa!" Andrew yelled. "Do you have a scar?"

Percy just shook his head, sour at the mention of that particular memory.

** "Your mom's the goddess of revenge," I told Ethan. "We should respect that?" **

"You should respect him, not based on who his parent is." Leila said softly. Percy looked down, thinking.

**"Nemesis stands for balance! When people have too much good luck, she tears them down." **

"Then what about people who have rotten bad luck their whole life?" Cara asked.

Percy shrugged. "That has to do with another goddess." He couldn't remember her name.

**"Which is why she took your eye?" **

"Some mom that is." Leila muttered.

**"It was payment," he growled. "In exchange, she swore to me that one day I would tip the balance of power. I would bring the minor gods respect. An eye was a small price to pay." **

Percy looked down again. You did, he thought.

**"Great mom." **

**"At least she keeps her word, unlike the Olympians. She always pays her debts-good or evil. " **

**"Yeah," I said. "So I saved your life, and you repaid me by raising Kronos. That's fair." **

"Burn!" Brett yelled.

**Ethan grabbed the hilt of his sword, but Prometheus stopped him. "Now, now," the Titan said. "We're on a diplomatic mission." **

"Never thought a Titan would say that." Andrew muttered. Well actually he never thought Titans actually existed until recently.

**Prometheus studied me as if trying to understand my anger. Then he nodded like he'd just picked a thought from my brain. "It bothers you what happened to Luke," he decided. **

"Creepy." Cara said, figuring he was right, on way or another.

**"Hestia didn't show you the full story. Perhaps if you understood . . ." The Titan reached out. Thalia cried a warning, but before I could react, Prometheus's index finger touched my forehead. **

**Yes I finally had a monster attack, although it was very suckish if you ask me. So that's it, for now. Until next time! Review!**


	17. Chapter 16 continued

**Hey guys I'm back A LOT sooner than expected but I had a lot of time on my hands today. Sorry but there will be no guests this chapter. I thought about it but it really didn't seem right. Looking back on it I wished I brought in Hestia, but too late now. I'll bring her in another time. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Me no own.**

**xXxXx**

**Suddenly I was back in May Castellan's living room. **

"Great." Todd muttered. "Back in the crazy ladies house."

**Candles flickered on the fireplace mantel, reflected in the mirrors along the walls. Through the kitchen doorway I could see Thalia sitting at the table while Ms. Castellan bandaged her wounded leg. Seven-year- old Annabeth sat next to her, playing with a Medusa beanbag toy. **

"No, no, no!" Andrew yelled. "You're supposed to be killing it!" He made some thrusting motions in an attempt to imitate a sword fight and the class burst out laughing.

**Hermes and Luke stood apart in the living room. **

"Awkward." A kid in the back whispered.

**The god's face looked liquid in the candlelight, like he couldn't decide what shape to adopt. He was dressed in a navy blue jogging outfit with winged Reeboks.**

"Sick! I need those." Brett shouted. All the boys in the class had an obsession with shoes and those would be so cool to have. Percy however would not where those shoes if you paid him. Lets just say he had some bad experiences with them.

**"Why show yourself now?" Luke demanded. His shoulders were tense, as if he expected a fight. "All these years I've been calling to you, praying you'd show up, and nothing. You left me with her."**

Leila and most of the class agreed with Luke. Living with that mental lady, he could have gotten really hurt, and it had to be scary.

**He pointed toward the kitchen like he couldn't bear to look at his mother, much less say her name.**

A lot of people scowled. Even if she was crazy she was still his mother.

** "Luke, do not dishonor her," Hermes warned. "Your mother did the best she could. As for me, I could not interfere with your path. The children of the gods must find their own way." **

"A little sign here or there would have been nice though." Cara muttered.

**"So it was for my own good. Growing up on the streets, fending for myself, fighting monsters." **

'"That makes him sound like a really bad dad." Carlos said dryly.

"That's because he is." Leila pointed out.

**"You're my son," Hermes said. "I knew you had the ability. When I was only a baby, I crawled from my cradle and set out for-" **

"That's different." Hailey cut in. "He's not immortal, not fully a god."

**"I'm not a god! Just once, you could've said something. You could've helped when."-he took an unsteady breath, lowering his voice so no one in the kitchen could overhear-"when she was having one of her fits, shaking me and saying crazy things about my fate.**

The class, knowing what they were like, shuddered, feeling bad. How many of those did he have to go through? How old had he been?

** When I used to hide in the closet so she wouldn't find me with those . . . Those glowing eyes. Did you even care that I was scared? Did you even know when I finally ran away?" **

A couple people winced. Hermes was his dad and an Olympian and Luke was being really disrespectful. Of course, he had a good reason.

**In the kitchen, Ms. Castellan chattered aimlessly, pouring Kool-Aid for Thalia and Annabeth as she told them stories about Luke as a baby. **

This brought some laughs. They tried imagining the all scary host of Kronos and failed miserably. It was just too funny.

**Thalia rubbed her bandaged leg nervously. Annabeth glanced into the living room and held up a burned cookie for Luke to see. She mouthed, Can we go now? **

"Even the seven year old doesn't want to be there." A boy muttered.

**"Luke, I care very much," Hermes said slowly, **

"Well you're not acting like it." Leila snapped.

**"but gods must not interfere directly in mortal affairs. It is one of our Ancient Laws. Especially when your destiny . . ." His voice trailed off.**

Marisa gasped. He had known Luke would become evil and he had done nothing! What kind of father, what kind of god was he?!

** He stared at the candles as if remembering something unpleasant. "What?" Luke asked. "What about my destiny?" **

Percy scowled at the desk.

**"You should not have come back," Hermes muttered. "It only upsets you both. However, I see now that you are getting too old to be on the run without help. I'll speak with Chiron at Camp Half-Blood and ask him to send a satyr to collect you."**

Percy cursed a sudden thought a curing to him. If Hermes had sent them there earlier than maybe Thalia maybe she wouldn't have Luke wouldn't have been so bitter. It was a big maybe though.

** "We're doing fine without your help," Luke growled. **

There were doubts about that. Three powerful demigods most attract a lot of monsters and it didn't help one of them was a semi-defenseless seven year old.

**"Now, what were you saying about my destiny?" The wings on Hermes's Reeboks fluttered restlessly. He studied his son like he was trying to memorize his face, and suddenly a cold feeling washed through me. I realized Hermes knew what May Castellan's mutterings meant. **

"You know it would be really nice if you would share that with us because we don't." Marisa grumbled.

**I wasn't sure how, but looking at his face I was absolutely certain. Hermes understood what would happen to Luke someday, how he would turn evil. **

"Oh." Marisa said, disappointed. "I knew that…" She trailed off. Something didn't make sense. It seemed as if May knew but that wasn't possible… It made no sense.

**"My son," he said, "I'm the god of travelers, the god of loads. If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart." **

**"You don't love me." **

Percy looked down remembering how devastated Hermes had been when Luke had died.

**"I promise I . . . I do love you. Go to camp. I will see that you get a quest soon. Perhaps you can defeat the Hydra, or steal the apples of Hesperides. You will get a chance to be a great hero before . . ."**

"He is no hero." Samantha said, although bad boys were very hot.

Percy was clenching and unclenching his fist in anger. Luke did become a great hero, no matter what anyone says.

** "Before what?" Luke's voice was trembling now. "What did my mom see that made her like this? What's going to happen to me? If you love me, tell me."**

Everyone leaned forward, wondering the same thing. Of course they knew Hermes almost definatly wouldn't say.

** Hermes's expression tightened. "I cannot." **

**"Then you don't care!" Luke yelled.**

"He must have his reasons." Leila said, too softly for anyone to hear. She wasn't sure herself.

** In the kitchen, the talking died abruptly. "Luke?" May Castellan called. "Is that you? Is my boy all right?" Luke turned to hide his face, but I could see the tears in his eyes. "I'm fine. I have a new family. I don't need either of you." **

"Harsh." Hailey whispered. And she thought her family was dysfunctional.

** "I'm your father," Hermes insisted. **

"You're not acting like one!" A girl yelled.

**"A father is supposed to be around. I've never even met you. Thalia, Annabeth, come on! We're leaving!" **

**"My boy, don't go!" May Castellan called after him. "I have your lunch ready!" **

**Luke stormed out the door, Thalia and Annabeth scrambling after him. May Castellan tried to follow, but Hermes held her back. As the screen door slammed, May collapsed in Hermes's arms and began to shake. **

Even if she was crazy, they still felt bad for her. No mother should have to go through that.

**Her eyes opened-glowing green-and she clutched desperately at Hermes's shoulders. "My son," she hissed in a dry voice. "Danger. Terrible fate!"**

Marisa scrunched up her eyebrows, thinking hard. Nothing added up. It was like she kept forgetting she knew his fate and then suddenly remembered.

** "I know, my love," Hermes said sadly. "Believe me, I know."**

**The image faded. **

It was silent for a moment as everyone thought about the family drama that had just unfolded before them.

**Prometheus pulled his hand away from my forehead. "Percy?" Thalia asked. "What . . . What was that?" **

**"**I'm not even sure." Carlos shivered.

**I realized I was clammy with sweat. Prometheus nodded sympathetically. "Appalling, isn't it? The gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their children. How long did it take for them to tell you you're prophecy, Percy Jackson? Don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?" **

Percy looked away in anger, ignoring the stares of his classmates. What would have happened if Percy had given into Prometheus's words? It wasn't nice to think that the worlds fate had been in the hands of a teenager.

**I was too stunned to answer. "Perrrcy, " Grover warned, "he's playing with your mind. Trying to make you angry."**

"It worked." Percy grumbled under his breath.

** Grover could read emotions, so he probably knew Prometheus was succeeding.**

"Well that's inconvenient." Todd said.

** "Do you really blame your friend Luke?" the Titan asked me. "And what about you, Percy? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal." **

"No!" Hailey yelled. "He offers definite destruction!"

**I clenched my fists. As much as I hated what Prometheus had shown me, I hated Kronos a lot more. **

"Good." Cara said firmly. Couldn't have their savior going to the other side.

**"I'll give you a deal. Tell Kronos to call off his attack, leave Luke Castellan's body, and return to the pits of Tartarus. Then maybe I won't have to destroy him,"**

"Sounds like a great deal." Brett said cheerfully. There would be no more deaths than and everything would be simpler.

** The empousa snarled. Her hair erupted in fresh flames, **

"Well that's not a attractive." Samantha said, half paying attention. She was ignored.

**but Prometheus just sighed. "If you change your mind," he said, "I have a gift for you." **

"Ooo. A gift." Brett said. "What is it, another pet Hellhound?"

**A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was about three feet high and a foot wide, glazed with black-and-white geometric designs. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness. Grover whimpered when he saw it. Thalia gasped. "That's not-" **

**"**What?" Andrew interrupted. "It's just vase." Percy smiled. He was mostly looking forward to Paul's reaction once he realized that history had been all wrong about Pandora's 'box'.

**"Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognize it." Looking at the jar, I felt a strange sense of fear, but I had no idea why. **

**"**Okay than." Carlos said quizzically. What was scary about a vase?

**"This belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explained. "Pandora." A lump formed in my throat. "As in Pandora's box?" **

"But that's not a box." Marisa pointed out in confusion. Percy just smiled mysteriously.

**Prometheus shook his head. "I don't know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that.**

**"**Wait." Paul said, interrupted himself. "You mean all these years I and every other teacher in the world have been teaching it incorrectly." He shook his head. He would need to tell everyone about this.

The class was shocked too, just not as much. Pandora's Box did sound a lot better than Pandora's pithos. It was just weird to think historians had it wrong for all these years.

**Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind-fear, death, hunger, sickness." **

"Could've done without that." Hailey said.

**"Don't forget me," the empousa purred.**

** "Indeed, " Prometheus conceded. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora.**

"Could've done without that too." She added.

** But what I find curious about the story-Pandora always gets the blame. **

**"**She is the one who opened it." Todd reasoned.

"So?" Marisa countered. "The gods were the one who had it sitting around right in her reach. Theu wanted her to open it. How is that fair?" There was silence to her question.

**She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family-my poor simple brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us." **

It was quiet as Paul let the class sink that in. No one jumped to the gods defense. As much as they hated to admit it, Prometheus had a point.

**I thought about my dream of Hades and Maria di Angelo. Zeus had destroyed an entire hotel to eliminate two demigod children-just to save his own skin, because he was scared of a prophecy. He'd killed an innocent woman and probably hadn't lost any sleep over it. **

A couple kids winced. The idea of this book was to get a better understanding of the gods world, and they were only getting bad impressions.

**Hades was no better. He wasn't powerful enough to take his revenge on Zeus, so he cursed the Oracle, dooming a young girl to a horrible fate. And Hermes . . . Why had he abandoned Luke? Why hadn't he at least warned Luke, or tried to raise him better so he wouldn't turn evil?**

All those questions and none of them led to good things for the gods. Just because they were immortal didn't give them the rights to do all these things. And these were the beings they worshipped.

**Maybe Prometheus was toying with my mind. But what if he's right? Part of me wondered. How are the gods any better than the Titans? **

**"**At least they let us live." Todd pointed out. Sure they caused a lot of bad things in their lives but it was better than what the Titans had planned to do.

**Prometheus tapped the lid of Pandora's jar. "Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it." **

"Who knows?" Paul said looking up.

"Hope." Leila called out softly. Paul nodded and continued to read.

**"Hope," I said. **

**Prometheus looked pleased. "Very good, Percy. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without being given permission. She can only be released by a child of man." **

Marisa blinked wondering what Prometheus was getting at.

**The Titan slid the jar across the table. "I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he said. "Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors." **

"You didn't open it, did you?" Leila asked softly. She had to ask. Percy shook his head quickly. Gods no, although he had been close.

**I stared at the jar and got a very bad feeling. I figured Pandora had been completely ADHD, like me. I could never leave things alone. I didn't like temptation. **

"No one does." Todd said although he figured it was worse for Percy being ADHD.

**What if this was my choice? Maybe the prophecy all came down to my keeping this jar closed or opening it. **

Marisa thought about it for a moment, but it didn't seem right. His choice was something else.

**"I don't want the thing," I growled. **

**"Too late," Prometheus said. "The gift is given. It cannot be taken back." **

**"**What no gift receipt?" Brett asked sarcastically.

**He stood. The empousa came forward and slipped her arm through his. "Morrain!" Prometheus called to the blue giant. "We are leaving. Get your flag." **

**"Uh-oh," the giant said.**

"A giant of many words I see." Andrew said in a very high and mighty fake voice.

** "We will see you soon, Percy Jackson," Prometheus promised. "One way or another." Ethan Nakamura gave me one last hateful look. Then the truce party turned and strolled up the lane through Central Park, like it was just a regular sunny Sunday afternoon.**

**xXxXx**

**Eh, not my best work. Sorry but I've been really stressed lately with Finals and stuff. I did this well I should have been studying. I'm really excited for the next chapter, and want it to be really good. So I am very sorry to say but there is a good chance I won't be able to post it until sometime after school ends on June 21. Sorry again but my grades come first. Hope you understand. **

**Warning: Rant. Skip if you want to. **

**RICK RIORDAN WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO PERCABETH!? I SAW THE HOUSE OF HADES COVER YESTERDAY AND OH MY GODS IT'S AMAZING! MY FAVORITE COVER YET! Seriously though it is so good. Tartarus looks super scary and now I'm dying even more for HOH. I need to know what happens to Percabeth. They look like there on the brink of death and like something's chasing them. Percy is pretty much dragging Annabeth. **

**After seeing that cover, and then thinking about some HOH fanfics I've read, I don't think anyone has done Tartarus justice. Think about it people, this is where even the gods don't go, it's not just a place where monsters go. I'm really excited to see where Rick goes with this since his audience is really aimed towards Middle School kids. CAN'T WAIT!**

**Cough, cough. Now that that's done with I have a really important question. I need some music well I'm writing. What is the ultimate **

***Percabeth**

***the seven as a whole**

***Percy**

***Annabeth**

***Jason **

***Piper**

***Leo**

***Hazel**

***frank**

**Song. Or anything like that. Please I really want your opinion on that. Drop a review! Incredibly long A/N over! **


	18. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, I'm back! I know it's been a long, long time but I warned you. Well the majority of you are resting back enjoying your summer break I've been taking finals and finishing school projects and all that. And then my mom got me a $50 Barnes & noble card which means lots and lots of new books. I've also had major writers block. It feels like in certain scenes there's just nothing to add. So yeah. And also thank you so much for all the song suggestions! I have this huge playlist now and it's perfect. Now on with the story and get ready for another long and important A/N at the bottom. **

**xXxXx**

**Back at the Plaza, Thalia pulled me aside. "What did Prometheus show you?" **

"Nothing good." Leila muttered.

**Reluctantly, I told her about the vision of May Castellan's house. Thalia rubbed her thigh like she was remembering the old wound. "That was a bad night," she admitted. "Annabeth was so little; I don't think she really understood what she saw. She just knew Luke was upset." **

**I looked out the hotel windows at Central Park. Small fires were still burning in the north, but otherwise the city seemed unnaturally peaceful. **

"The Manhattan is never peaceful." Carlos said, glancing outside to the usually traffic and honking horns. It was impossible to imagine that all gone.

**"Do you know what happened to May Castellan? I mean-"**

"She's completely mad?" Todd suggested.

**"I know what you mean," Thalia said. "I never saw her have an, um, episode,but Luke told me about the glowing eyes, the strange things she would say. He made me promise never to tell. What caused it, I have no idea. If Luke knew, he never told me."**

The class groaned. When would they find out? This book was so frustrating.

** "Hermes knew," I said. "Something caused May to see parts of Luke's future, and Hermes understood what would happen-how Luke would turn into Kronos."**

Marisa was lost in thought. How would May see her son's destiny? Most people were concerned with something else though.

"If Hermes knew, why didn't he do anything, instead letting his so be the possible downfall of Olympus?" Hailey cried. Some dad.

"Gods can't interfere with that stuff." Percy said, but it was half-hearted. He knew what Hailey meant.

** Thalia frowned. "You can't be sure of that. Remember Prometheus was manipulating what you saw, Percy, showing you what happened in the worst possible light. Hermes did love Luke. I could tell just by looking at his face. **

"Says the huntress of Artemis." Samantha said under her breath.

**And Hermes was there that night because he was checking up on May, taking care of her. **

"How sweet!" Samantha squealed so everyone could hear. The gods couldn't be completely heartless right?

**He wasn't all bad."**

**"It's still not right," I insisted. "Luke was just a little kid. Hermes never helped him, never stopped him from running away."**

"He wasn't being a dad and there is no way May was able to be a mom." Leila said. She couldn't imagine what that must be like, living like that.

** Thalia shouldered her bow. Again it struck me how much stronger she looked now that she'd stopped aging. You could almost see a silvery glow around her-the blessing of Artemis. "Percy, "she said, "you can't start feeling sorry for Luke. We all have tough things to deal with. All demigods do. Our parents are hardly ever around.**

Again they were all reminded Luke wasn't the only one who had to live like that. Still, it would make any one bitter right?

** But Luke made bad choices. Nobody forced him to do that.**

If Hermes had been there more maybe he wouldn't have made those choices, Cara thought, wondering if it was true.

** In fact-" She glanced down the hall to make sure we were alone. "I'm worried about Annabeth. If she has to face Luke in battle, I don't know if she can do it. She's always had a soft spot for him."**

The class was a little shocked. Annabeth didn't seem like the type of person to have a soft spot or anyone.

**Blood rose to my face.**

"Somebody's jealous." Samantha chanted. She shut up after a glare from Percy

"She'll do fine."

** "I don't know. After that night, after we left his mom's house? Luke was never the same. He got reckless and moody, like he had something to prove. By the time Grover found us and tried to get us to camp . . . Well, part of the reason we had so much trouble was because Luke wouldn't be careful. He wanted to pick a fight with every monster we crossed.**

Most were thinking along the lines that if they ever saw a monster again, they would run far far away not pick a fight. Demigods were weird like that.

** Annabeth didn't see that as a problem. Luke was her hero. She only understood that his parents had made him sad, and she got very defensive of him. She still is defensive. All I'm saying . . . Don't you fall into the same trap. Luke has given himself to Kronos now. We can't afford to be soft on him." **

"He's not Luke though anymore." Marisa pointed out.

"He still looks like Luke." Percy countered. "And that's enough."

**I looked out at the fires in Harlem, wondering how many sleeping mortals were in danger right now because of Luke's bad choices.**

Marisa thought for a moment trying to remember if there had been any deaths in Manhattan. There was a good possibility there had but she couldn't think of a number.

** "You're right," I said. Thalia patted my shoulder.**

**"I'm going to check on the Hunters, then get some more sleep before nightfall. You should crash too." **

**"The last thing I need is more dreams." **

"Your dreams really are horrible." Hailey said, sympathetic.

**"I know, believe me." Her dark expression made me wonder what she'd been dreaming about. It was a common demigod problem: the more dangerous our situation became, the worse and more frequent our dreams got. **

Everyone, well almost everyone felt bad. That must really suck. It would just add to the stress. And they knew how bad Percy's dreams are.

**"But Percy, there's no telling when you'll get another chance for rest. It's going to be a long night-maybe our last night." **

**I didn't like it, but I knew she was right. I nodded wearily and gave her Pandora's jar. "Do me a favor. Lock this in the hotel vault, will you? I think I'm allergic to pithos." **

"Good." Leila said with a small shiver. "Out of sight out of mind."

**Thalia smiled. "You got it." I found the nearest bed and passed out. But of course sleep only brought more nightmares. I saw the undersea palace of my father. The enemy army was closer now, entrenched only a few hundred yards outside the palace. The fortress walls were completely destroyed. The temple my dad had used as his headquarters was burning with Greek fire. **

"Well that can't be good." A girl said. If Poseidon's palace got destroyed… Well that couldn't be good for his health.

**I zoomed in on the armory, where my brother and some other Cyclopes were on lunch break, eating from huge jars of Skippy extra-chunky peanut butter **

"How would that taste underwater?" Cara asked wrinkling her nose. Paul smiled as he continued reading.

**(and don't ask me how it tasted underwater, because I don't want to know). **

Cara blushed as the class laughed.

**As I watched, the outer wall of the armory exploded. A Cyclops warrior stumbled inside, collapsing on the lunch table. Tyson knelt down to help, but it was too late. The Cyclops dissolved into sea silt. **

"Another dead." Leila whispered. He was just a Cyclops but it felt… Wrong.

**Enemy giants moved toward the breach, and Tyson picked up the fallen warrior's club. He yelled something to his fellow blacksmiths- probably "For Poseidon!"-but with his mouth full of peanut butter it sounded like "PUH PTEH BUN!" His brethren all grabbed hammers and chisels, yelled, "PEANUT BUTTER!"**

"Still the weirdest battle cry I've ever heard." Brett said, laughing with everyone else.

**and charged behind Tyson into battle.**

**Then the scene shifted. I was with Ethan Nakamura at the enemy camp. **

Marisa smiled, leaning forward a bit. Maybe demigod dreams weren't so bad; they gave you an inside peak to the enemy.

**What I saw made me shiver, partly because the army was so huge, partly because I recognized the place. We were in the backwoods of New Jersey, on a crumbling road lined with run-down businesses and tattered billboard signs. A trampled fence ringed a big yard full of cement statuary. The sign above the warehouse was hard to read because it was in red cursive, but I knew what it said: AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM. **

A couple people raised eyebrows. It was a pretty odd place to keep headquarters at. And what would make this place so memorable? With Percy you never knew.

**I hadn't thought about the place in years. It was clearly abandoned. The statues were broken and spray-painted with graffiti. A cement satyr-Grover's Uncle Ferdinand-had lost his arm. **

Whispers of confusion spread through the room but some had already figured it at with a sense of dread. Only one person from Greek 'Mythology' could turn things to stone.

**Part of the warehouse roof had caved in. A big yellow sign pasted on the door read: CONDEMNED. Hundreds of tents and fires surrounded the property. Mostly I saw monsters, but there were some human mercenaries in combat fatigues and demigods in armor, too. **

"I wonder how they stand being in the same room with the monsters." A girl shivered.

**A purple-and-black banner hung outside the emporium, guarded by two huge blue Hyperboreans. Ethan was crouched at the nearest campfire. A couple of other demigods sat with him, sharpening their swords. The doors of the warehouse opened, and Prometheus stepped out. "Nakamura," he called. "The master would like to speak to you."**

"That can't be good." Carlos muttered. It was like being called to speak with the teacher, but much, much worse.

** Ethan stood up warily. "Something wrong?"**

** Prometheus smiled. "You'll have to ask him."**

** One of the other demigods snickered. "Nice knowing you." **

What would Kronos do with one of his most trusted demigod ally, and why? It obviously couldn't be anything good.

**Ethan readjusted his sword belt and headed into the warehouse. Except for the hole in the roof, the place was just as I remembered. **

It would make sense, with Percy's luck, to have a run in with Medusa eventually, those who had figured it out mused.

**Statues of terrified people stood frozen in mid-scream. **

It sank in for some more people.

**In the snack bar area, the picnic tables had been moved aside. Right between the soda dispenser and pretzel warmer stood a golden throne.**

"Great place for a throne." Brett snickered.

** Kronos lounged on it, his scythe across his lap. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, and with his brooding expression he looked almost human-like the younger version of Luke I'd seen in the vision, pleading with Hermes to tell him his fate. **

"Well that must be hard." Leila said. You were fighting a Titan, a monster, but was always reminded of a boy, someone who had once been good.

**Then Luke saw Ethan, and his face contorted into a very inhuman smile. His golden eyes glowed. "Well, Nakamura. What did you think of the diplomatic mission?" **

That couldn't be what he wanted to talk about, Marisa thought. If he wanted to know about that he would speak to Prometheus.

**Ethan hesitated. "I'm sure Lord Prometheus is better suited to speak-" **

**"But I asked you." **

**Ethan's good eye darted back and forth, noting the guards that stood around Kronos. "I . . . I don't think Jackson will surrender. Ever." **

Percy smiled smugly, than dropped it at the curious and awed looks he was getting. The attention was uncomfortable.

**Kronos nodded. "Anything else you wanted to tell me?"**

** "N-no, sir."**

You could feel the tension in the room and what must surely be in the book too.

**"You look nervous, Ethan." **

**"No, sir. It's just . . . I heard this was the lair of -"**

** "Medusa? **

Those who didn't know gasped. What if she was still lurking about?

**Yes, quite true. Lovely place, eh? Unfortunately, Medusa hasn't re-formed since Jackson killed her,**

No one was particularly shocked by that, considering all he had done but it still made him seem even more powerful.

** so you needn't worry about joining her collection. Besides, there are much more dangerous forces in this room." **

That made some nervous. What dangerous forces did he have exactly? With every chapter it got harder and harder to believe they had won.

**Kronos looked over at a Laistrygonian giant who was munching noisily on some french fries. **

"Real terrifying." Brett snorted, although he figured it definitely was.

**Kronos waved his hand and the giant froze. A french fry hung suspended in midair halfway between his hand and his mouth. "Why turn them to stone," Kronos asked, "when you can freeze time itself?" **

Despite knowing they won, everyone was getting scared. How could you win against an enemy who could freeze you in time with a wave of the hand.

**His golden eyes bored into Ethan's face. "Now, tell me one more thing. What happened last night on the Williamsburg Bridge?" **

After a moment of confusion they were reminded of Annabeth taking a knife for Percy, despite being invulnerable.

**Ethan trembled. Beads of perspiration were popping up on his forehead. "I . . . I don't know, sir." **

**"**Not the right answer." Andrew mumbled. It was just going to get him in more trouble.

**"Yes, you do." Kronos rose from his seat. "When you attacked Jackson, something happened. Something was not quite right. The girl, Annabeth, jumped in your way." **

That was something that they all didn't understand, except of course for Percy.

**"She wanted to save him."**

Surprisingly, no one pointed out the obvious.

** "But he is invulnerable," Kronos said quietly. "You saw that yourself." **

**"I can't explain it. Maybe she forgot." **

**"**Like that would happen." Marisa scoffed. Annabeth wasn't stupid enough to just 'forget'.

**"She forgot," Kronos said. "Yes, that must've been it. Oh dear, I forgot my friend is invulnerable and took a knife for him. Oops.**

**"**Well it sounds stupid when you put it like that." Todd said sarcastically.

** Tell me, Ethan, where were you aiming when you stabbed at Jackson?" **

**Ethan frowned. He clasped his hand as if he were holding a blade, and mimed a thrust. "I'm not sure, sir. It all happened so fast. I wasn't aiming for any spot in particular."**

The room suddenly got very quiet. If Kronos were to find out where his mortal spot was… IT was all downhill from there.

** Kronos's fingers tapped the blade of his scythe. "I see," he said in a chilly tone. "If your memory improves, I will expect-" Suddenly the Titan lord winced. The giant in the corner unfroze and the french fry fell into his mouth. Kronos stumbled backward and sank into his throne. **

"What was that?" Cara asked in surprise. He shouldn't be that weak he was a Titan!

**"My lord?" Ethan started forward.**

** "I-" The voice was weak, but just for a moment it was Luke's. **

It was enough to get almost everyone hopeful. If Luke got control again, it would be perfect! Hopefully he wouldn't turn on everyone again. But who knew.

**Then Kronos's expression hardened. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers slowly as if forcing them to obey. "It is nothing," he said, his voice steely and cold again. "A minor discomfort." **

**Ethan moistened his lips. "He's still fighting you, isn't he? Luke-" "Nonsense," Kronos spat. "Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. The boy's soul has been crushed. I am simply adjusting to the limits of this form. It requires rest. It is annoying, but no more than a temporary inconvenience." **

**"**Yeah right." Leila said. For the first time things were looking up.

**"As . . . As you say, my lord." **

**"You!" Kronos pointed his scythe at a dracaena with green armor and a green crown. "Queen Sess, is it?" **

**"Yesssss, my lord." **

**"Is our little surprise ready to be unleashed?" The dracaena queen bared her fangs. "Oh, yessss, my lord. Quite a lovely sssssurprissse."**

**"**Surprises are never good." Hailey grumbled. And just when maybe things were getting a little better…

** "Excellent," Kronos said. "Tell my brother Hyperion to move our main force south into Central Park. The half-bloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves. Go now, Ethan. Work on improving your memory. We will talk again when we have taken Manhattan." **

"Like that would ever happen." Cara said. Well reading this book it was even more doubtful he hadn't.

**Ethan bowed, and my dreams shifted one last time.**

**I saw the Big House at camp, but it was a different era. The house was painted red instead of blue. The campers down at the volleyball pit had early '90s hairstyles, which were probably good for keeping monsters away.**

No one could tell if he was being sarcastic or not so they kept quiet.

** Chiron stood by the porch, talking to Hermes and a woman holding a baby.**

Marisa leaned forward excitedly. She was sure the woman was May and the baby was Luke. She had a feeling they would finally, at least somewhat, understand the secrets of May Castellan.

** Chiron's hair was shorter and darker. Hermes wore his usual jogging suit with his winged high-tops. The woman was tall and pretty. She had blond hair, shining eyes and a friendly smile. The baby in her arms squirmed in his blue blanket like Camp Half-Blood was the last place he wanted to be. **

"Why?!" Andrew yelled. "I wish I could go there!" Percy didn't have anything to say.

**"It's an honor to have you here," Chiron told the woman, though he sounded nervous. "It's been a long time since a mortal was allowed at camp." **

There was no doubt some were deflated. Seems as though they wouldn't be invited there any time soon.

**"Don't encourage her," Hermes grumbled. "May, you can't do this." **

So that was her. Hard to believe this beautiful woman turned into a complete nut. They wondered if the exact thing Hermes was telling her she couldn't do, was the thing that turned her mad.

**With a shock, I realized I was seeing May Castellan. She looked nothing like the old woman I'd met. **

**"**No duh." Jared said shortly.

**She seemed full of life-the kind of person who could smile and make everyone around her feel good. **

That definitely didn't seem like the May Castellan they had been introduced one they knew was always making people feel uncomfortable and frankly, scared.

**"Oh, don't worry so much," May said, rocking the baby. "You need an Oracle, don't you? **

For a moment no one said anything, but they were all thinking the same thing. This would not go well. They knew about the curse. May didn't and they were all almost certain what the consequences of trying would be. Finally, Carlos broke the silence. "Uh oh."

**The old one's been dead for, what, twenty years?"**

"And there's a reason for that." Hailey said under her breath.

** "Longer," Chiron said gravely. **

**Hermes raised his arms in exasperation. "I didn't tell you that story so you could apply. It's dangerous. **

"Very." Percy said quietly. At this moment he was so happy the same fate hadn't come to Rachel.

**Chiron, tell her." **

**"It is," Chiron warned. "For many years, I have forbidden anyone from trying. We don't know exactly what's happened. Humanity seems to have lost the ability to host the Oracle."**

"Hades happened." Percy said bitterly.

** "We've been through that," May said. "And I know I can do it. Hermes, this is my chance to do something good. I've been given the gift of sight for a reason."**

Leila shook her head sadly. The fates were cruel. May didn't deserve any of this.

** I wanted to yell at May Castellan to stop. I knew what was about to happen. I finally understood how her life had been destroyed. **

Everyone knew, but even the most annoying in the class kept quiet.

**But I couldn't move or speak. Hermes looked more hurt than worried. "You couldn't marry if you became the Oracle," he complained.** **"You couldn't see me anymore."**

"Wouldn't that be good for him?" Hailey spoke. "He would have to move on eventually and this would just make it easier."

"Well." Samantha interjected. "I think it's sweet and romantic." There were eye rolls than, and the conversation ended.

**May put her hand on his arm. "I can't have you forever, can I? You'll move on soon. You're immortal." **

"See my point?" Hailey said with a pointed glare at Samantha, who ignored it with a huff.

**He started to protest, but she put her hand on his chest. "You know it's true! Don't try to spare my feelings. Besides, we have a wonderful child. I can still raise Luke if I'm the Oracle, right?" **

**Chiron coughed. "Yes, but in all fairness, I don't know how that will affect the spirit of the Oracle. A woman who has already borne a child-as far as I know, this has never been done before. If the spirit does not take-" **

"Well regardless, that's not the reason it all went bad." Cara said.

**"It will," May insisted. **

Poor May. She had been so certain and everything had gone wrong because of Hades.

**No, I wanted to shout. It won't.**

Almost everyone knew the feeling.

** May Castellan kissed her baby and handed the bundle to Hermes. "I'll be right back." **

The question that weighed on everyone's minds was, how different would she be?

**She gave them one last confident smile and climbed the steps. Chiron and Hermes paced in silence. The baby squirmed. A green glow lit the windows of the house. The campers stopped playing volleyball and stared up at the attic. A cold wind rushed through the strawberry fields. Hermes must've felt it too. He cried, "No! NO!" He shoved the baby into Chiron's arms and ran for the porch. Before he reached the door, the sunny afternoon was shattered by May Castellan's terrified scream.**

The class was silent. It had taken minutes for her to go from happy and confident, to crazy.

**I got up so fast I banged my head on somebody's shield. **

The room became a little less tense, happy to be out of Percy's dreams. They weren't sure how he stood it, but it certainly was helpful.

**"Ow!" **

**"Sorry, Percy." Annabeth was standing over me. "I was just about to wake you."**

"A little too late." Percy grumbled.

**I rubbed my head, trying to clear the disturbing visions. Suddenly a lot of things made sense to me: May Castellan had tried to become the Oracle. She hadn't known about Hades's curse preventing the spirit of Delphi from taking another host. Neither had Chiron or Hermes. They hadn't realized that by trying to take the job, May would be driven mad, plagued with fits in which her eyes would glow green and she would have shattered glimpses of her child's future. **

"Well that's the simplest way to put it." Marisa said. Somehow it sounded scarier that way, like there was no doubts about what had just happened.

**"Percy?" Annabeth asked. "What's wrong?"**

** "Nothing," I lied. **

"Idiot." Cara said. "She's your second in command and a daughter of Athena. You should have told her."

Percy shrugged. They had had enough going on, and she shouldn't have had to worry about what his dreams had told him.

**"What . . . What are you doing in armor? You should be resting."**

**"Oh, I'm fine," **

"Well that was a quick recovery for someone who almost died." Todd muttered.

**she said, though she still looked pale. She was barely moving her right arm. **

"Or maybe not so much."

**"That nectar and ambrosia fixed me up." **

**"Uh-huh. You can't seriously go out and fight." **

Samantha cooed softly and Percy ignored her. He swore, she belonged in the Aphrodite cabin.

**She offered me her good hand and helped me up. My head was pounding. Outside, the sky was purple and red. "You're going to need every person you have," she said. **

She wasn't wrong about that. They were so greatly outnumbered it was surprisingly they hadn't been taken over already.

**"I just looked in my shield. There's an army-" **

**"Heading south into Central Park," I said.**

"You're psychic!" Brett yelled. Percy gave him an odd look.

Hailey rolled her eyes. "It was in the dream, idiot."

"Oh."

** "Yeah, I know." I told her part of my dreams. I left out the vision of May Castellan, because it was too disturbing to talk about. I also left out Ethan's speculation about Luke fighting Kronos inside his body. I didn't want to get Annabeth's hopes up. **

That was smart. False hope could be bad.

**"Do you think Ethan suspects about your weak spot?" she asked. **

It was odd he didn't seem to, but if he did know wouldn't he report to Kronos right away?

**"I don't know," I admitted. "He didn't tell Kronos anything, but if he figures it out-"**

"We lose." Marisa said ever the optimistic.

** "We can't let him."**

"No duh."

** "I'll bonk him on the head harder next time," I suggested. "Any idea what surprise Kronos was talking about?" **

**She shook her head. "I didn't see anything in the shield, but I don't like surprises." **

"No one ever does." Todd muttered.

**"Agreed." **

**"So," she said, "are you going to argue about me coming along?"**

** "Nah. You'd just beat me up."**

Jared snorted. "See, even you admit it. A girl could easily beat you up, injured or not." Percy gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes. He was getting sick and tired of him.

**She managed a laugh, which was good to hear. I grabbed my sword, and we went to rally the troops. Thalia and the head counselors were waiting for us at the Reservoir. The lights of the city were blinking on at twilight. I guess a lot of them were on automatic timers. Streetlamps glowed around the shore of the lake, making the water and trees look even spookier. **

With all the noise and traffic, New York City was never really described as spooky. Scary, yes but not spooky. For a moment some wished they had been awake, but then decided they were happy with sleeping through it all; Too many monsters.

**"They're coming," Thalia confirmed, pointing north with a silver arrow. "One of my scouts just reported they've crossed the Harlem River. There was no way to hold them back. The army . . ." She shrugged. "It's huge." **

There was more doubt in the room they had actually won. Kronos's army was so big and their army was so tiny in comparison. Without the gods help it was looking like they would lose.

**"We'll hold them at the park," I said. "Grover, you ready?" **

**He nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. If my nature spirits can stop them anywhere, this is the place."**

Everyone was wondering how much damage nature spirits could really do, but Percy was beaming in pride for his friend.

** "Yes, we will!" said another voice. A very old, fat satyr pushed through the crowd, stumbling over his own spear. He was dressed in wood-bark armor that only covered half of his belly. **

"Very attractive." Samantha said in disgust under her breath; like that really mattered now.

**"Leneus?" I said. **

**"Don't act so surprised," he huffed. "I am a leader of the Council, and you did tell me to find Grover. Well, I found him, and I'm not going to let a mere outcast lead the satyrs without my help!" **

"Well at least he's doing something." Leila said with a small shake of the head.

**Behind Leneus's back, Grover made gagging motions, but the old satyr grinned like he was the savior of the day.**

**"**Yeah right." Andrew said. "What can an old satyr do anyway?"

"And plus Percy's the real savior." Cara added. Percy ducked his head down to hide his blush, choosing to keep quiet.

** "Never fear! We'll show those Titans!"**

More than one person laughed at the old satyr yelling like that.

** I didn't know whether to laugh or be angry, but I managed to keep a straight face. "Um . . . Yeah. Well, Grover, you won't be alone. Annabeth and the Athena cabin will make their stand here. And me, and . . . Thalia?" **

**She patted me on the shoulder. "Say no more. The Hunters are ready."**

It was a good thing they had at least some back up, and it helped even more that backup were the deadly hunters.

** I looked at the other counselors. "That leaves the rest of you with a job just as important. You have to guard the other entrances to Manhattan. You know how tricky Kronos is. He'll hope to distract us with this big army and sneak another force in somewhere else. It's up to you to make sure that doesn't happen. Has each cabin chosen a bridge or tunnel?" **

"Smart." Marisa nodded in improvement. It was still weird to think of Percy leading an army.

**The counselors nodded grimly. "Then let's do it," I said. "Good hunting, everybody!"**

Some people snorted at Percy's words. It seemed like they would be the ones being hunted soon enough.

** We heard the army before we saw it. The noise was like a cannon barrage combined with a football stadium crowd-like every Patriots fan in New England was charging us with bazookas.**

**"**You have the weirdest descriptions." Carlos muttered.

"And the best!" Brett added.

"Just trying to get my point across." Percy grumbled.

** At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods-a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them. **

How could they win against that, some were wondering. OF course they should stop doubting them.

**"Positions!" Annabeth yelled. Her cabinmates scrambled. The idea was to make the enemy army break around the reservoir. To get to us, they'd have to follow the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow columns on either side of the water. **

Somehow Marisa had a feeling something would go wrong. Something always did.

**At first, the plan seemed to work. The enemy divided and streamed toward us along the shore. When they were halfway across, our defenses kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. **

That's why there were scorched marks on the jogging trail Todd thought. It had been quite weird when they were first discovered along with many other things.

**Others flailed around, engulfed in green flames. Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants and pulled them to the ground. In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line, destroying twenty or thirty dracaenae, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled out of the sky and fried a Laistrygonian giant to ashes, and I knew Thalia must be doing her daughter of Zeus thing. Grover raised his pipes and played a quick tune. A roar went up from the woods on both sides as every tree, rock, and bush seemed to sprout a spirit. Dryads and satyrs raised their clubs and charged. The trees wrapped around the monsters, strangling them. Grass grew around the feet of the enemy archers. Stones flew up and hit dracaenae in the faces. **

The faces of the class were shocked. The demigods and everyone else were just so kick back. But were they good enough to win?

**The enemy slogged forward. Giants smashed through the trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. Hellhounds lunged at the timber wolves, knocking them aside. Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch. **

That answered there questions. They never seemed to be good enough.

**"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed my arm and pointed at the reservoir. The Titan in the gold armor wasn't waiting for his forces to advance around the sides. He was charging toward us, walking straight over the top of the lake.**

Of course the titan could walk over water. Nothing could ever be semi-easy for them, could it?

** A Greek firebomb exploded right on top of him, but he raised his palm and sucked the flames out of the air. **

It became tense in the room for about the millionth time this year. That was not good. Would they ever come across something easy to beat?

**"Hyperion," Annabeth said in awe. "The lord of light. Titan of the east."**

Marisa gulped. Most of the people in the room didn't know who he was, but she did. And it wasn't good.

** "Bad?" I guessed. **

"Very." Marisa said under her breath. This was not good.

**"Next to Atlas, he's the greatest Titan warrior. **

"Well that's just great." Andrew said dryly. Didn't they deserve some good luck?

**In the old days, four Titans controlled the four corners of the world. Hyperion was the east-the most powerful. He was the father of Helios, the first sun god." **

**"I'll keep him busy," I promised. **

**"**And how do you plan to do that?" Todd asked.

Percy smiled wickedly. "Never doubt me." Of course, throughout the book they always seemed to be doubting Percy.

**"Percy, even you can't-"**

** "Just keep our forces together." We'd set up at the reservoir for good reason. **

Marisa's eyes widened. Smart move. He could use the water. But even Percy couldn't…

**I concentrated on the water and felt its power surging through me. I advanced toward Hyperion, running over the top of the water. **

"That is so cool!" Liam yelled. Being a son of Poseidon defiantly had its advantages.

**Yeah, buddy. Two can play that game. **

Some people laughed, trying to break the tension.

**Twenty feet away, Hyperion raised his sword. His eyes were just like I'd seen in my dream-as gold as Kronos's but brighter, like miniature suns. **

"Only you," Leila began. "would compare an evil Titan's eyes to miniature suns.

**"The sea god's brat," he mused. "You're the one who trapped Atlas beneath the sky again?" **

The class already knew about that but it didn't make it any less cool.

**"It wasn't hard," I said. "You Titans are about as bright as my gym socks." **

"Judging by your gym socks I'd say that's beyond dumb." Paul said and kids snickered well Percy rolled his eyes at his step-father.

**Hyperion snarled. "You want bright?" His body ignited in a column of light and heat. **

The room became tense again. Why was everyone in this book so powerful?

**I looked away, but I was still blinded. Instinctively I raised Riptide-just in time. Hyperion's blade slammed against mine. **

"Good instincts." Andrew commented. Of course they all already knew that.

**The shock wave sent a ten-foot ring of water across the surface of the lake. **

No one could even imagine what kind of damage they could cause.

**My eyes still burned. I had to shut off his light. I concentrated on the tidal wave and forced it to reverse. Just before impact, I jumped upward on a jet of water.**

Ryan wasn't the only one getting really jealous of Percy's water powers. He was like aqua man.

** "AHHHHH!" The waves smashed into Hyperion and he went under, his light extinguished. **

The class cheered. Time after time again he continued to surprise them.

**I landed on the lake's surface just as Hyperion struggled to his feet. His golden armor was dripping **wet**. His eyes no longer blazed, but they still looked murderous. "You will burn, Jackson!" he roared. **

Percy laughed. "You have no idea how many monsters have vowed to kill me before." No one doubted that for a second.

**Our swords met again and the air charged with ozone. The battle still raged around us. On the right flank, Annabeth was leading an assault with her siblings. On the left flank, Grover and his nature spirits were regrouping, entangling the enemies with bushes and weeds. **

**"**I'm never going to plant a garden." Todd said, wondering how strong those bushes and weeds were to be able to stop monsters and giants.

**"Enough games," Hyperion told me. "We fight on land." I was about to make some clever comment, like "No,"**

Everyone laughed because Percy, powerful or not, was a goofball.

** when the Titan yelled. A wall of force slammed me through the air-just like the trick Kronos had pulled on the bridge. I sailed backward about three hundred yards and smashed into the ground. **

Everyone sucked in their breaths until they remembered he was invulnerable. Thank the gods for that.

**If it hadn't been for my new invulnerability, I would've broken every bone in my body. I got to my feet, groaning. "I really hate it when you Titans do that." **

"You make it sound like that happens to you every day." Leila said, but with Percy you never knew.

**Hyperion closed on me with blinding speed. I concentrated on the water, drawing strength from it. Hyperion attacked. He was powerful and fast, but he couldn't seem to land a blow. **

Marisa thought, confused. It's not like one of the strongest Titan warriors would just miss…

**The ground around his feet kept erupting in flames, but I kept dousing it just as quickly. "Stop it!" the Titan roared. "Stop that wind!" **

What wind, Marisa thought. Percy must have another trick up his sleeve.

**I wasn't sure what he meant. **

Or maybe not.

**I was too busy fighting. Hyperion stumbled like he was being pushed away. Water sprayed his face, stinging his eyes. The wind picked up, and Hyperion staggered backward. "Percy!" Grover called in amazement. "How are you doing that?" **

"Doing what?" a kid asked. Paul smiled and read the next line without waiting for an answer.

**Doing what? **

A couple people chuckled. Percy didn't know either, but since when did Percy know anything? Of course accept for kick butt fighting.

**I thought. Then I looked down, and I realized I was standing in the middle of my own personal hurricane. Clouds of water vapor swirled around me, winds so powerful they buffeted Hyperion and flattened the grass in a twenty-yard radius. Enemy warriors threw javelins at me, but the storm knocked them aside. **

The class's eyes widened. Percy had managed to shock and awe them once again. "That is so sweet!" Carlos yelled and it was. Was there any limit to Percy's powers? It didn't seem like it.

"You really are Aqua Man." Ryan said in awe. Percy was uncomfortable with the attention but he had to admit it was cool.

**"Sweet," I muttered. "But a little more!" **

"What more do you need?" A girl asked, still in awe. Percy just smiled mischievously.

**Lightning flickered around me. The clouds darkened and the rain swirled faster.**

The class was cheering again. Now they knew how they had won and it was all thanks to Percy, or at least that's how they saw it.

** I closed in on Hyperion and blew him off his feet. **

More cheers. It had to be pretty powerful to throw a Titan off his feet.

**"Percy!" Grover called again. "Bring him over here!" I slashed and jabbed, letting my reflexes take over, Hyperion could barely defend himself. His eyes kept trying to ignite, but the hurricane quenched his flames. I couldn't keep up a storm like this forever, though. I could feel my powers weakening. **

The class was all leaning forward, absorbed in the book. Paul was certain they had never been this interested in his class and it made him proud, but he hated they were reading about his step-son in danger.

**With one last effort, I propelled Hyperion across the field, straight to where Grover was waiting. "I will not be toyed with!" Hyperion bellowed. **

The class laughed. He already had been.

**He managed to get to his feet again, but Grover put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play. Leneus joined him. Around the grove, every satyr took up the song-an eerie melody, like a creek flowing over stones. **

No one was quite sure how an eerie melody sounded like a creek flowing over stones but they decided not to ask.

**The ground erupted at Hyperion's feet. Gnarled roots wrapped around his legs. **

Let's just say the mortals were very taken back.

**"What's this?" he protested. He tried to shake off the roots, but he was still weak. The roots thickened until he looked like he was wearing wooden boots. "Stop this!" he shouted. "Your woodland magic is no match for a Titan!" But the more he struggled, the faster the roots grew. They curled about his body, thickening and hardening into bark. His golden armor melted into the wood, becoming part of a large trunk. The music continued. Hyperion's forces backed up in astonishment as their leader was absorbed. He stretched out his arms and they became branches, from which smaller branches shot out and grew leaves. The tree grew taller and thicker, until only the Titan's face was visible in the middle of the trunk. "You cannot imprison me!" he bellowed. "I am Hyperion! I am-" The bark closed over his face. **

The class (who had somehow managed to keep quiet during that whole thing) was in complete shock. No way could satyrs, no matter how many, imprison a Titan. But they did and the mortals knew that satyrs were a force to be reckoned with. Some were still in shock as Paul continued to read. Satyrs to the rescue!

**Grover took his pipes from his mouth. "You are a very nice maple tree." **

That managed to get some laughs from those who had recovered from the satyr's wrath.

**Several of the other satyrs passed out from exhaustion, but they'd done their job well. **

"Well is an understatement." Someone muttered. They had always assumed the satyrs were just another creature, nothing special. They remembered meeting Grover and were surprised someone like that could do something like that.

**The Titan lord was completely encased in an enormous maple. The trunk was at least twenty feet in diameter, with branches as tall as any in the park. The tree might've stood there for centuries.**

Another mystery uncovered. The tree had brought lots of confusion. How did a huge, old looking tree just appear? Now they knew.

** The Titan's army started to retreat. A cheer went up from the Athena cabin, but our victory was short-lived. Because just then Kronos unleashed his surprise.**

"Great." Andrew grumbled. "And I had forgotten all about the surprise." Just what they needed. Like defeating a Titan wasn't enough.

** "REEEEET!" The squeal echoed through upper Manhattan. Demigods and monsters alike froze in terror. Grover shot me a panicked look. "Why does that sound like . . . It can't be!"**

**"**I hate it when you do that." Todd complained.

** I knew what he was thinking. Two years ago we'd gotten a "gift" from Pan-a huge boar that carried us across the Southwest (after it tried to kill us). **

A kid snorted. "Because things can never be simple. There always has to be near death experiences.

**The boar had a similar squeal, but what we were hearing now seemed higher pitched, shriller, almost like . . . Like if the boar had an angry girlfriend. **

"Only you, Percy." Hailey said with a shake of the head. "Only you." But they would never get tired of his crazy descriptions.

**"REEEEEET!" A huge pink creature soared over the reservoir-a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade nightmare blimp with wings. **

**"**I am never going to look at those things again." Carlos said and that went for everyone.

**"A sow!" Annabeth cried. "Take cover!" **

**"**What the Hades is a sow?" Andrew cried. No one had an answer but it must have been important because it was Kronos's surprise, after all.

**The demigods scattered as the winged lady pig **

"Lady pig." A boy snorted.

**swooped down. Her wings were pink like a flamingo's, which matched her skin beautifully, but it was hard to think of her as cute when her hooves slammed into the ground, barely missing one of Annabeth's siblings. **

"That's always a turn off." Todd said sarcastically.

**The pig stomped around and tore down half an acre of trees, belching a cloud of noxious gas. Then it took off again, circling around for another strike. "Don't tell me that thing is from Greek mythology," I complained. **

"Everything is." Hailey said, sounding slightly terrified. She wondered how they were going to beat this one because she had decided to never again doubt Percy's skills.

**"Afraid so," Annabeth said. "The Clazmonian Sow. It terrorized Greek towns back in the day."**

Leila winced in sympathy for them. She wondered if they had a hero to slay it for them.

** "Let me guess," I said. "Hercules beat it."**

**"**That would make sense." Marisa said. Hercules seemed to have beaten everything and Marisa, frustrating enough, knew nothing of this new monster.

** "Nope," Annabeth said. "As far as I know, no hero has ever beaten it." **

"Well that's just great." Brett said. The mortals were confident Percy could beat it, he had to, but the question was how.

**"Perfect," I muttered. The Titan's army was recovering from its shock. I guess they realized the pig wasn't after them. **

"If only." Leila muttered. It would be perfect if the sow could get rid of the enemy for them.

**We only had seconds before they were ready to fight, and our forces were still in a panic. Every time the sow belched, Grover's nature spirits yelped and faded back into their trees. **

"Well so much for them." Carlos said, but no one could blame them. If any of them had witnessed this they would have already died of fright.

**"That pig has to go." **

"No duh, Sherlock." Todd muttered.

**I grabbed a grappling hook from one of Annabeth's siblings. "I'll take care of it. You guys hold the rest of the enemy. Push them back!"**

Defeating the monster was one thing, but alone? And after a fight? The mortals, despite everything were starting to doubt Percy Jackson once again.

** "But, Percy," Grover said, "what if we can't?" **

The mortals were suddenly reminded that the sow wasn't their only problem. If they couldn't hold back the army it wouldn't matter anymore.

**I saw how tired he was. The magic had really drained him.**

"It was pretty sick magic." Cara said trying to brighten things up a little.

** Annabeth didn't look much better from fighting with a bad shoulder wound.**

They had completely forgotten about that. They wondered how she was still standing after almost dying hours before.

** I didn't know how the Hunters were doing, but the right flank of the enemy army was now between them and us. **

"At least you have a strategy." Marisa said hopefully.

**I didn't want to leave my friends in such bad shape, but that sow was the biggest threat. It would destroy everything: buildings, trees, sleeping mortals. **

**"**Yeah." Brett piped up. "Kill the pig because you know, it would be really nice if we didn't die."

**It had to be stopped. "Retreat if you need to," I said. "Just slow them down. I'll be back as soon as I can." Before I could change my mind, I swung the grappling hook like a lasso. **

He wouldn't some were thinking. But of course, when it came to Percy he had no restraints.

**When the sow came down for its next pass, I threw with all my strength. The hook wrapped around the base of the pig's wing.**

**"**Okay than." Carlos muttered. "Now you're a cowboy."

** It squealed in rage and veered off, yanking the rope and me into the sky. If you're heading downtown from Central Park, my advice is to take the subway.**

Everyone laughed. Only Percy could make those off-hand comments that would make you forget about the danger of the moment.

** Flying pigs are faster, but way more dangerous. **

Finally something sunk in for everyone. "Flying pigs are real!" Brett yelled. "No way! Do you know how much stuff people owe me?" Everyone was thinking along the same lines and Samantha was devising a plan to get a new phone and it took Paul five minutes to calm the chaos. How ironic that after all those years of the saying 'when pigs fly', pigs have really been flying since Ancient times.

**The sow soared past the Plaza Hotel, straight into the canyon of Fifth Avenue. My brilliant plan was to climb the rope and get on the pig's back. **

"Brilliant plan." Marisa scoffed. She seemed to be the only one not crazy about the whole flying pig revolution.

**Unfortunately I was too busy swinging around dodging streetlamps and the sides of buildings. **

**"**Yup," Andrew said. "defiantly bad."

**Another thing I learned: it's one thing to climb a rope in gym class. It's a completely different thing to climb a rope attached to a moving pig's wing while you're flying at a hundred miles an hour. **

Everyone laughed.

**We zigzagged along several blocks and continued south on Park Avenue. Boss! Hey, boss! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blackjack speeding along next to us, darting back and forth to avoid the pig's wings. **

The class cheered. Flying horse to the rescue!

**"Watch out!" I told him. Hop on! Blackjack whinnied. I can catch you . . . Probably. **

**"**Well that's reassuring." Hailey said dryly.

**That wasn't very reassuring. Grand Central lay dead ahead. Above the main entrance stood the giant statue of Hermes, which I guess hadn't been activated because it was so high up. **

"It would have been helpful if we had Hermes, even if it was just a statue." Cara said.

**I was flying right toward him at the speed of demigod-smashing. "Stay alert!" I told Blackjack. "I've got an idea." **

The class groaned. Percy having an idea wasn't good at all. "Hey!" Percy cried indignantly. "My ideas aren't that bad!"

"Yes they are." A kid called and everyone agreed. Percy huffed in his seat.

**Oh, I hate your ideas. **

"See!" Todd said. "Even your Pegasus agrees."

"Oh, and so now you take him seriously!" Percy shot back and everyone was laughing.

**I swung outward with all my might. Instead of smashing into the Hermes statue, I whipped around it, circling the rope under its arms.**

The laughter died down wondering what Percy was up to.

** I thought this would tether the pig, but I'd underestimated the momentum of a thirty-ton sow in flight. **

A couple people rolled their eyes. It was a good plan though, for Percy.

**Just as the pig wrenched the statue loose from its pedestal, I let go. Hermes went for a ride, taking my place as the pig's passenger, and I free-fell toward the street. **

No one was really worried considering everything that had happened in this book so far, but it would be bad if after everything to die by being squashed into the ground.

**In that split second I thought about the days when my mom used to work at the Grand Central candy shop. I thought how bad it would be if I ended up as a grease spot on the pavement. **

A couple people laughed, although most were still absorbed in the book wondering how he would get out of this. "That would be bad." Leila said.

**Then a shadow swooped under me, and thump-I was on Blackjack's back. **

The class cheered; they had forgotten about Blackjack.

**It wasn't the most comfortable landing. In fact, when I yelled "OW!" my voice was an octave higher than usual.**

This made everyone double over with laughter and Percy grumble something about stupid Pegasus and stupid book.

** Sorry, boss, Blackjack murmured. "No problem," I squeaked. **

More laughter.

**"Follow that pig!" The porker had taken a right at East 42nd and was flying back toward Fifth Avenue. When it flew above the rooftops, I could see fires here and there around the city. **

That's not good, Marisa thought. A full scale fire throughout the city wasn't what they needed.

**It looked like my friends were having a rough time. Kronos was attacking on several fronts. But at the moment, I had my own problems. The Hermes statue was still on its leash. It kept bonking into buildings and spinning around. The pig swooped over an office building, and Hermes plowed into a water tower on the roof, blasting water and wood everywhere. **

The class groaned. This pig was just causing trouble now. It was a good distraction though. Get the most valuable fighter away from the battle and cause chaos at the same time.

**Then something occurred to me. "Get closer," I told Blackjack. He whinnied in protest. **

"Scaredy horse." Brett taunted, not like he would have run away at sight of that thing.

**"Just within shouting distance," I said. "I need to talk to the statue." **

"Well that sounds like you're crazy." Cara said, but she was smiling. If Percy could activate the statue…

**Now I'm sure you've lost it, boss, Blackjack said, but he did what I asked. When I was close enough to see the statue's face clearly, I yelled, "Hello, Hermes! Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty- three. Kill Flying Pigs! Begin Activation!" Immediately the statue moved its legs. It seemed confused to find that it was no longer on top of Grand Central Terminal. It was, instead, being given a sky-ride on the end of a rope by a large winged sow. **

"Well that's not pleasant." Leila said. Talk about sudden realization.

**It smashed through the side of a brick building, which I think made it a little mad.**

"I didn't know statues could get mad." Carlos said. "I thought they had no emotions."

"That's robots, idiot." Hailey said rolling her eyes. "And really?" Carlos blushed as everyone laughed.

** It shook its head and began to climb the rope. I glanced down at the street. We were coming up on the main public library, with the big marble lions flanking the steps. Suddenly I had a weird thought: Could stone statues be automatons too?**

**"**Great." Brett said. "Everything's an automatan these days."

** It seemed like a long shot, but . . . "Faster!" I told Blackjack. "Get in front of the pig, Taunt him!" **

"So," Cara began. "You're really telling the Pegasus to taunt the flying pig?"

"Well, it sounds crazy when you put it like that." Percy grumbled.

**Um, boss- "Trust me," I said. "I can do this . . . Probably." **

Some people groaned. He wasn't sounding very confident.

**Oh, sure. Mock the horse.**

Cue laughs.

** Blackjack burst through the air. He could fly pretty darned fast when he wanted to. He got in front of the pig, which now had a metal Hermes on its back. Blackjack whinnied, You smell like ham! **

"Burn!" Brett yelled. This was going to be funny.

**He kicked the pig in the snout with his back hooves and went into a steep dive. The pig screamed in rage and followed. We barreled straight for the front steps of the library. Blackjack slowed down just enough for me to hop off, than he kept flying toward the main doors. I yelled out, "Lions! Command sequence: Daedalus Twenty-three. Kill Flying Pigs! Begin Activation!" The lions stood up and looked at me. They probably thought I was teasing them.**

**"**Because that's what everyone does for fun." Andrew said dryly. "Tease stone lions."

** But just then: "REEEEEET!" The massive pink pork monster landed with a thud, cracking the sidewalk. The lions stared at it, not believing their luck, and pounced. At the same time, a very beat-up Hermes statue leaped onto the pig's head and started banging it mercilessly with a caduceus.**

This brought lots of laughs at the mental image**. **

** Those lions had some nasty claws. **

The class froze for a moment. Everyone in there grade knew how to activate those things. It only took a few simple words and then… Well that couldn't be good.

**I drew Riptide, but there wasn't much for me to do. The pig disintegrated before my eyes. **

Some kid snorted. "The all great and powerful sow pig thing killed by a Hermes statue and stone lions."

**I almost felt sorry for it. I hoped it got to meet the boar of its dreams down in Tartarus. **

Percy got some very weird looks.

**When the monster had completely turned to dust, the lions and the Hermes statue looked around in confusion. "You can defend Manhattan now," I told them, but they didn't seem to hear. They went charging down Park Avenue, and I imagined they would keep looking for flying pigs until someone deactivated them. **

The mortals were all laughing at the thought of a small army of stone lions and a Hermes statue hunting for flying pigs.

**Hey, boss, said Blackjack. Can we take a donut break? **

"Really?" Leila asked. "The world is being destroyed and he wants donuts?"

"That's blackjack for you." Was Percy's only reply."

**I wiped the sweat off my brow. "I wish, big guy, but the fight's still going on." In fact, I could hear it getting closer. My friends needed help. I jumped on Blackjack, and we flew north toward the sound of explosions.**

**xXxXx**

**I hope you enjoyed this because it was ****26**** pages on word. And yes I'm really sorry i didn't bring anyone in (again) but I had writers block and it just didn't fit. Sorry 'bout that and I hope to bring someone in soon.**

*******Important***** **

**So, as some of you have noticed I'm not the best at Greek mythology. I defiantly know more than probably my whole grade but when it comes to the little things I'm clueless. So thanks to the people who have pointed at the little things about the gods and stuff. And thanks a bunches to the reviewer who mentioned that it is known as Pandoras pithos everywhere, not just in the book. **

**I'm disappointed in myself. I think it was two chapters ago during the monster attack I said Percy got a scratch. A SCRATCH. HE IS INVINSABLE HE CAN'T GET HURT! I didn't notice until someone pointed it out. Only three of you noticed. **

**Now, on to the topic about who is being brought in. Despite everything that goes on in this story, (the mist disappearing, etc) I'm trying to make it somewhat cannon. Just think about it. They are reading about the Titan war and the reason why most of the demigods switched to Kronos's side is because they thought there parents were ignoring them. So why, when they don't have two seconds for their kids, would gods like Zeus and Hades go to a mortal English class and read about someone they don't even like? So besides Poseidon and maybe 1 or 2 other gods I have in mind ( this doesn't include Athena ) will sadly not be making an appearance. I'm really sorry about that.**

*******Important part over**** **

**Okay now that that's out of the way. I am still not on summer break sadly. I don't have to go to school today, but I do Thursday and Friday. I don't know when I will update next. Hopefully summer will bring more updates but you never know. **

**So, what book are you reading now? I just finished the Elite by Kiera Cass and I loved it. HAte Celeste though. Burn her with fire.**

**REVIEW!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys I'm back with another chapter! And I'm finally on summer break! *Does happy dance* No more school! Sadly this isn't a reading chapter, just a filler, but I'm pretty sure a lot of you will like this. Or maybe you won't… I dunno but I'm excited! Hopefully this will make it more fun to write :). Anyway thanks a bunches to Zarathos' chain for the idea! Now on with the chapter!**

**.**

**.**

**. **

Nancy Bobofit's Pov

I tapped my foot impatiently at the front desk. I had been standing there for more than ten minutes, waiting for the old lady to find my schedule. It was bad enough to have to transfer to a new school in the middle of the year, but now I was going to be late and everyone would stare. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing but still.

"A hah!" the secretary said, holding up a crisp white paper in her hand. "Found it!"

_About time, _I thought, but took the schedule gratefully nonetheless. I gave it a quick glance and none of the classes looked interesting, not that school ever was. Apparently I would be in Mr. Blofis's English class first period. I inwardly groaned. There was no way I would be able to stay awake at 8:00 am listening to a middle-aged guy read some boring classic. I had no idea how wrong I was.

After getting some instructions from the secretary and stopped by my locker, I was faced with the task of finding the English room. Her instructions hadn't been particularly helpful.

I walked through Goode's pristine hallways, lost and cursing my dad for getting a job transfer. It was awfully quiet and there wasn't anyone in sight. Back at my old school, there was always people wandering the halls; people coming in late, ditchers. Here it seemed as though everyone was tucked away in their classrooms, learning and all that boring stuff. I wondered if anyone would notice if I never showed up for class.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pounding footsteps behind me. The sound bounced off the walls in the once silent halls. Before I could turn around to see who it was, something bumped into me, causing all my books to go clattering to the floor.

I cursed and bent down to pick them up. Since it was my first day, I didn't have much stuff so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was reaching to go pick up my geometry book, but a scarred hand beat me to it.

"I'm so sorry." A male's voice said and as I straightened I could finally get a good look at my offender. He was in the simplest terms, hot; muscular but more in a swimmer way than in a body builder way with his lean body and raven black hair that could never be tamed. My heart fluttered a little and although I was sure he looked familiar with those deep sea-green eyes I was also sure I would remember such a hot guy.

"Well," I snapped trying to keep up my cool persona, "watch where you're going."

"Sorry." Cutie repeated. "It's just that I'm seriously late and…" He trailed off at the end. I was slightly confused why he would care so much about being late. He had that laid back, bad boy look about him.

"Whatever," I said, still slightly annoyed. "I have a class to get to." In truth, I would much rather stand here and flirt with cutie over here and I was still lost.

"Wait," The boy reached over and grabbed my wrist keeping me in place. I bet he could hear the pounding of my heart. "Do I know you?" he asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

I rolled my eyes, acting annoyed that he was holding me up, but inside I was doing a happy dance. "I actually just transferred here." I said.

"Oh," he said. "Well I could help you find your first class if you want."

I gave him a flirty smile. Time to switch tactics. "That would be great. It would also be great if I learned your name."

He gave me an awkward grin and held out his hand. "Percy Jackson." He answered and it was those two words that made everything come crashing down. Percy Jackson. No way in Hades could that be him. No way could the scrawny kid I used to pick on in sixth grade become this- this hunk!

I must have been gawking because he gave me an odd look and put his hand back to his side. "Erm, is something wrong?"

Immediately I straightened my face and gave him a glare. And he didn't even have the decency to remember me! "Remember?" I said, still glaring. "Yancy Academy?"

He looked confused for a moment before the pieces seemed to click together. "Nancy?" I cringed at the way he basically spit out my name.

"The one and only." I said in what I hoped was a bored tone. I still couldn't understand how he turned into this.

Percy groaned and I had a feeling he wouldn't put aside our differences and date me. "So what class are you heading to? I don't want to be even more late and we don't have to spend more time together than we have to."

"English." I replied, trying to be as polite as possible. He was looking at me like I might start throwing peanut butter at him. Really, I wasn't twelve anymore! "Mr. Blofis's room."

Percy groaned again and then muttered something I couldn't hear. "Great. Just great." He turned and began walking away. "Follow me." He said, louder than last time. "I'm in that class too."

_Am I really that bad to be around? _I thought, I voiced my thoughts to him. "It's not that." He said. "It's just." He shrugged his shoulders, trailing off uncertainly at the end. "We're here." He said stopping at a door marked 244.

When we walked in, a guy who I assumed was the English teacher was in the middle of a discussion and everyone turned to look at us. There was whispers, which I first thought was about me, being the new kid and all. It took me a moment to realize they were all staring at Percy, which confused me. I mean sure he was hot and all, but it didn't really make sense.

Percy gave the teacher a quick apology before slipping away to the back of the class. _Well then, _I thought. _Same old awkward Percy. _Now that I was standing in the front of the class alone, everyone's attention turned to me.

The teacher, oblivious to his students whispering around the room, gave me a smile. "You must be Nancy Bobofit." I could only give him a nod of confirmation before he continued talking. "Well, I'm the English teacher, Mr. Blofis. You can take a seat anywhere you like."

Of course, the only one left was right near the front. Great, I thought. I hated it near the front. The teacher could always see if you were paying attention or not. I slid into the seat, ready for the torture of school that was sure to come.

"Let's begin the next chapter shall we." Mr. Blofis said, picking up a book beside him. From my angle I couldn't really make out the cover, but I could see what looked like a black horse with wings.

"What book are we reading?" I asked, praying it wasn't Moby Dick or something stupid like that*.

"The Last Olympian." He said, but there was a knowing look in his eyes when he said. "I had never heard of it before, but I wasn't curious enough to ask and he didn't offer any information.

"Chiron Throws a Party," Mr. Blofis began and I had a feeling this wasn't some old classic.

.

.

.

**So… Like it? Hate it? I'm not really happy with the interaction between Percy and Nancy but I wrote that part like ten times and just, URGH. Hope it's okay for you. So I know a regular English teacher would probably explain the book but, whatever. I'm excited to write about Nancy's reaction to Percy being a demigod and all that. I was thinking about putting it in this chapter but… You'll have to wait. I might write a separate one-shot about Nancy and Percy running into each other after school and after Nancy knows he's a demigod. Should I?**

**I most likely won't bring anyone in for the next chapter since Nancy just got here and all but I might if something pops out. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, considering I haven't even started it yet. Oops. Hopefully summer will mean more updates, but I'll be really busy you know… Laying on the beach and in my room. Busy, busy, busy!**

**And to Kenzie Jade: After this one I won't be doing the rest of the series but I will be doing Son of Neptune. Poseidon WILL be coming in I'm just not sure when. I just take it chapter by chapter although I do have some ideas in mind. Hope I answered your questions. :)**

**And to the guest who asked about the epilogue chapter. Well I have a plan in mind but I can't tell you because, well you'll just have to find out when we get there. **

**Why are my A/N's getting so long?! Bye bye and hopefully it won't be too long until the next chapter! Review! I want your thoughts and feedback! **


	20. Chapter 19

**Happy 4****th**** of July! (For those who celebrate it) Okay first off I did not mean to take this long to get this chapter up, but I'll bore you with my excuses at the bottom. Anyway the beginning of this chapter focuses on Nancy a lot, and then it starts going back to the usual. Enjoy!**

**-0-**

**Midtown was a war zone. **

Nancy blinked in surprise; definitely not what she was expecting. Questions sat on her lips, but decided not to ask any. This was school, she reminded herself. She didn't care.

**We flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center. **

"Okay wait a minute." Nancy interrupted. The words the English teacher had just read flew around in her head. It made absolutely no sense, but her new classmates sat around her unfazed. "What exactly is this book about?" she demanded.

"It's the Titan War that took place over the summer from a demigod's point of view." A girl with a know it all air around her spoke. Nancy noticed the way she said demigod with a small smirk and she wondered if it was her imagination that everyone had seemed to look towards the back of the room.

"It happened in Manhattan." Another boy said. Nancy could only nod. She knew all about the gods and stuff, but until now it had never really become a part of her life. She knew about the Titan War but it was over, the gods had taken care of it, done and done. In her opinion it was best to let the scientists deal with all those questions and leave the wondering to them, but she always had been slightly curious. It certainly was shocking the war had been in her home town. How had they not noticed it before? Now it seemed she would have her answers.

The English teacher gave her a small smile before continuing.

**I was tempted to stop and help, but I could tell from the smoke and noise that the real action had moved farther south. Our defenses were collapsing. **

The class became tense, already getting sucked back into the book. They needed backup, or else there was no way they could stop Kronos's army. Nancy was still very confused, but kept her mouth shut, hoping she would get her answers soon enough.

**The enemy was closing in on the Empire State Building. **

"Why the Empire State Building?" Nancy asked, failing at her plan to keep quiet and not ask questions.

"That's where Olympus is." Cara answered.

"What?" Nancy asked absolutely baffled. No way, she thought. How could she not have seen it? No one felt the need to explain anymore and only laughed at Nancy's expression. They were all hoping their faces hadn't looked like that although they had pretty much the whole book.

**We did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. The Hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus.**

Nancy shook her head, still not believing it. She wondered idly who the Hunters were, but not enough to ask.

**To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy.**

"Statues?" Nancy asked. This book was getting more and more confusing by the sentence. Nancy was cursing her dad for transferring in the middle of the school year. Well everyone else was all caught up and actually understood what was going on she was completely lost. "You know what; I'm not even going to ask she muttered, knowing the answer wouldn't help much. She heard a snort of laughter from the back of the room and didn't have to turn around to know it was Percy. He had to be enjoying this.

**To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover's nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos's demigods. **

"Wait." Nancy cut in. She ignored the annoyed classmates around her and turned to Percy who was smirking at her, twirling a pen. "Grover." She said trying to keep disbelief out of her voice. "Grover from Yancy?"

"You two know each other…" Mr. Blofis said. But Nancy was still staring at Percy who looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Yup." He said, unable to hold the laugh back anymore. "He's a satyr, you know Lord of the Wild." Percy laughed again, like doubled over laughter, at Nancy's shocked expression. No way could that scrawny, crippled kid… Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Blofis clearing his throat with a slightly confused look.

"Me and Grov-. Grover and I," He quickly corrected himself, seeing as he was in English class, "went to school with Nancy a while back." He explained. Nancy was still so shocked it took her a moment to realize Paul had begun to read again.

**The south was clear for now, but the flanks of the enemy army were swinging around. A few more minutes and we'd be totally surrounded.**

Nancy took a deep breath and tried to pay attention to the book, especially when she noticed her classmates tense and absorbed looks. She had never seen an English class so… Awake.

** "We have to land where they need us most," I muttered. **

Nancy wondered who this person was talking to and what he meant by land. Note to self: she thought, don't start a book in the middle.

**That's everywhere, boss. I spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant. "There!" I told Blackjack.**

Blackjack, Nancy thought. The name meant nothing and nothing was adding up at all. It sounded like he was in the air or something but it made no sense.

** He plunged toward the battle. I leaped off his back and landed on the giant's head.**

Nancy thought that was a pretty cool move but the class looked as if they had read about this person doing cooler things. Whoever this person was. She wished she knew.

**When the giant looked up, I slid off his face, shield-bashing his nose on the way down. "RAWWWR!' The giant staggered backward, blue blood trickling from his nostrils. I hit the pavement running. The Hyperborean breathed a cloud of white mist, and the temperature dropped. The spot where I'd landed was now coated with ice, and I was covered in frost like a sugar donut. **

The class snorted in laughter at the description and Nancy was pretty sure she liked this guy. Or girl. She still didn't know.

**"Hey, ugly!" Annabeth yelled. I hoped she was talking to the giant, not me. **

More laughter. This book wasn't that bad, she thought, if you took away the confusion.

**Blue Boy bellowed and turned toward her, exposing the unprotected back of his legs. I charged and stabbed him behind the knee. "WAAAAH!" The Hyperborean buckled. I waited for him to turn, but he froze. I mean he literally turned to solid ice. **

Well, that was odd and Nancy was happy she wasn't the only one who thought so.

**From the point where I'd stabbed him, cracks appeared in his body. They got larger and wider until the giant crumbled in a mountain of blue shards. **

"One monster down," a kid, she thought his name was Brett, said. "Only a couple hundred more to go." She wondered if there were really that many.

**"Thanks." Annabeth winced, trying to catch her breath. "The pig?" **

**"Pork chops," I said. **

Nancy groaned, wondering when the confusion would end. She would have to take the book home and, shudder, read on her own time. It didn't seem like a pig was really that big of a deal compared to an evil Titan Lord.

**"Good." She flexed her shoulder. Obviously, the wound was still bothering her, but she saw my expression and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Percy. Come on! We've got plenty of enemies left." **

"Truer words have never been spoken." Todd muttered. It seemed as though there were an endless flow of enemies.

**She was right. The next hour was a blur. I fought like I'd never fought before-wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkhines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. **

Whoever this person was they were definitely powerful and skilled, Nancy thought. She wondered if all demigods were this skilled. If they were it was no wonder they had won. Still, where were the gods? She knew that in Greek Mythology the gods often called upon their children for help, but to fight a whole war for them without any help seemed a little harsh.

**Still, no matter how many I defeated, more took their place. Annabeth and I raced from block to block, trying to shore up our defenses. Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing. As the night wore on and the moon got higher, we were backed up foot by foot until we were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction. **

Until now Nancy hadn't understood why everyone looked so worried considering they had obviously won. But now sitting here she couldn't help but fell doubtful. They weren't doing well. The class was wondering other things. What would happen once they reached Olympus?

**At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel. **

Nancy was still lost at the idea of Grover fighting in an army or whatever they called it. It just didn't… fit. At all. He was supposed to be a geek! A misfit! But apparently Grover wasn't the only one who had changed, she thought looking over at Percy who was slunk low in his seat avoiding any eyes.

**Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving the monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a Frisbee. **

"Who is Mrs. O'Leary?" Nancy squeaked-she couldn't help it. It was silent for a moment before someone finally piped up.

"She's a hellhound." A girl, Hailey said. Nancy noticed a lot of people glancing at Percy with confused looks. He looked like he wanted to disappear and Nancy didn't understand why. The rest of the class was wondering why Percy was acting so weird, until it finally occurred to most people. Nancy and Percy had none each other in the past. She wouldn't have known he was a demigod and Percy didn't want her to know.

**Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind the enemy lines. **

Nancy didn't even ask about the invisibility cap.

**Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there. But it still wasn't enough.**

Even Nancy knew that was bad. If all this wasn't enough, what would be enough?

** "Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to my left. The problem was there were too few of us to hold anything. **

This whole time – which hadn't been very long – Nancy had thought there was been tons of demigods. Now she realized how dire the situation was.

**The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind me. A ring of brave demigods, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors. I slashed and hacked, destroying everything in my path, but even I was getting tired, and I couldn't be everywhere at once. **

Nancy knew now that everyone else wasn't as good as this kid. They were special. Whoever they were. Nancy was getting more and more suspicious though about the curious and awed looks thrown to the back of the room.

**Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. I thought it was the sunrise. **

If it wasn't the sunrise what was it? Hopefully not that Titan again.

**Then I realized Kronos was riding toward us on a golden chariot.**

You could feel the tension in the air. They all had a feeling this time Kronos wouldn't back down so easily, but no one was as tense or doubtful as Nancy. How were demigods and Nature spirits supposed to hold off the Titan Lord. It was weird though. She had never been interested in school and now she was worrying over a stupid book that she already knew the outcome to. Still, this had really happened, recently, which made it feel so much more real.

** A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black- and-purple banners. The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He was taking his time advancing, letting me wear myself down.**

"Seems like a dramatic entrance." Carlos muttered. He was the first to say anythingin a while. It was weird with no one butting in every two seconds.

**Annabeth appeared next to me. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!" She was right. I was about to order a retreat when I heard the hunting horn. It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan. **

The class was curious and cautious. Who was that? Hopefully not more enemies to fight off… "Maybe it's reinforces!" Leila said hopefully, but no one believed her. After all this time? And they just didn't have that kind of luck.

**I glanced at Thalia, but she just frowned. "Not the Hunters," she assured me. "We're all here."**

Well Thalia seemed to be the leader of these hunter people, Nancy thought. That cleared one thing up.

**"Then who?" The horns got louder. I couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching. I was afraid it might be more enemies, but Kronos's forces looked as confused as we were. **

"Maybe it's the gods!" A girl cried, but everyone shook their heads. Somehow they doubted the gods had been able to fight off Typhon. Nancy was still wondering why the gods weren't here in the first place. Everyone was still unsure if the army approach was friend or foe but it seemed to be getting more hopeful it was the former.

**Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honor guard looked uneasy. Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were doomed, but they didn't attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies.**

The class suddenly cheered. It was back up! Maybe they weren't doomed after all. Nancy was still shocked out how an English class full of teenagers was so engaged. But this wasn't a regular English class.

** A new blast of horns shattered the night. The air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed. "Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!" **

"Whoa!" Brett yelled. "We need some partying. This is getting too depressing for my likes. Someone turn on the music!"

Hailey didn't hesitate to smack his head, but to say the class was confused was an understatement.

**A shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons.**

"At least there helping." Cara said, but she sounded uncertain. Who were these people?

** But these weren't regular arrows. They made whizzy sounds as they flew, like WHEEEEEE! Some had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points. **

"Whaa?" That was pretty much all the class could come up with. This full blown out war between the gods – or more like the gods' children – and the Titans had just turned into a kiddy fight!

**"Centaurs!" Annabeth yelled. **

"Umm, centaurs?" Nancy asked. They definitely didn't seem like centaurs. But everyone was as lost as she was. These centaurs didn't sound at all like Chiron, the only other centaur they had read about, or the ones from Harry Potter.

**The Party Pony army exploded into our midst in a riot of colors: tie- dyed shirts, rainbow Afro wigs, oversize sunglasses, and war-painted faces. Some had slogans scrawled across their flanks like HORSEZ PWN or KRONOS SUX. Hundreds of them filled the entire block. **

Some mortals were absolutely doubled over in laughter and some were just sitting there with their mouths open. "Not the backup I was expected but this could work!" Andrew yelled.

Everyone was laughing now and grateful for the awesome help until Marisa spoke up. "Well how scary can centaurs with rainbow afro wigs be? I don't think they're going to help much." After that the class settled down giving her looks. She was such a know it all and so annoying. Nancy however was looking at Percy. Unlike the rest of the class, he was unfazed smirking in amusement at the class around him. Something was suspicious…

**My brain couldn't process everything I saw, but I knew if I were the enemy, I'd be running. **

"Ha!" Brett yelled at Marisa. "They are helpful!" Marisa just huffed at being wrong.

**"Percy!" Chiron shouted across the sea of wild centaurs.**

Nancy was frozen her eyes widening as everything – well not everything –clicked into place. "Wait." Nancy said disbelief and absolute shock filling her voice. No way, no way, she could not believe it. "This book, this demigod, is you?" She was facing Percy who was all the way on the other side of the room. Nancy didn't want to believe it because the scrawny loser of Yancy could not be a powerful demigod, but somehow it made sense. It seemed right.

"Yup." Percy said giving her a smirk. He was enjoying this! Nancy was at a loss for words. He was obviously an exceptionally powerful demigod but that just didn't fit Percy! He was supposed to be awkward and geeky! And he just sat there grinning at her like an idiot! The mortals were all laughing and snickering to themselves convinced they hadn't acted that way. Although they had.

Mr. Blofis cleared his throat indicating he wanted to continue so they could finish the chapter by the end of the period. Nancy realized that he was smiling lightly. He was laughing at her too! Great she thought, huffing in her seat, her face red, just great. She gave Percy one last glance. She would corner Jackson after school and get her answers, than turned her attention back to the book.

**He was dressed in armor from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was grinning in satisfaction. **

That seemed more appropriate for a centaur, some people thought, still laughing a little at Nancy.

**"Sorry we're late!" **

"Yeah," Hailey muttered. "We could have used you a while ago." But at least they had come.

**"DUDE!" Another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!" **

Andrew and some other boys cheered. "Now that's what I am talking about!"

**He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink. **

Everyone was laughing. It was nice to have a break from the usual tense mood.

"Anyone who uses paintballs to fight monsters is my kind of guy!" Brett yelled. "Or centaur." he added as an afterthought.

Of course Marisa rolled her eyes. "How is that supposed to help?"

**The paint must've been mixed with Celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and- black puddle.**

'Ha!" Brett yelled at Marisa. "You are wrong once again!" Marisa was not having a good day.

** "PARTY PONIES. '" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA!" Somewhere across the battlefield, a twangy voice yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!" "HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted. **

"So centaurs represent different states." Marisa said, but she was ignored. Everyone was too busy enjoying themselves. Who knew centaurs could be so cool?

**It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.**

"Well that's one way to put it." Hailey said.

**The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. **

"Whoo!" Everyone was happy. They had one another battle and with NERF things too! Sweet. Marisa however was annoyed. This was supposed to be war not a game!

**The centaurs trampled everything in their path. "Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and ACKK!" That last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of him.**

That just brought more laughs. The all mighty Titan Lord sat on!

** The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt. **

Cue more laughter. The constant doubt that they really had lost vanished for now.

**We pushed them for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"**

"Aw." A couple boys moaned. "We can cream them!"

** It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee. **

"Oh, poo." Todd said. "Fleeing is for cowards!"

**"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."**

"Finally some sense." Marisa muttered to herself.

** "But the enemy-" **

**"They're not defeated," she agreed.**

Of course everyone knew that, but it deflated some people down and notched the mood a couple of pegs.

** "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time." **

"All that and we've only bought time." Nancy scowled. For now she had recovered from the whole powerful Percy thing and was getting swept up into the book like everyone else. During the whole thing with the Party Ponies Percy had simply sat there with an amused look. He knew everything that was to happen in this book.

**I didn't like pulling back, but I knew she was right. **

"Annabeth is always right." A girl agreed and Nancy scowled again realizing she didn't know any of these people. She would definitely have to do some reading.

**I watched as the last of the telkhines scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly I turned and headed back toward the Empire State Building. We set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, we couldn't defend more than a few blocks. **

"It's better than what we had before." Leila said. With their arrival there was lots of new hope. Five hundred was a lot of back up. Forty demigods wouldn't have been able to hold down Olympus but now there was hope.

**"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. **

"They even have cool names." Carlos said. He just loved these guys.

**His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY, NEW MEXICO CHAPTER. **

"Nice," Brett laughed.

**"That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!" **

"I shudder to think what that was like." Cara said, imagining centaurs with paintball guns and NERF bats running through the streets of Vegas.

"Are you kidding me!" Brett countered. "I would love to party with them! It was probably awesome!"

**"Yeah," said Owen from South Dakota. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army helmet. "We totally wasted them!"**

"Whoo!" No monsters were going to walk into their town.

** Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. **

They all knew that.

**Now why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."**

"Oh, so the centaurs are allowed to steal." Andrew said, with a pointed look at Percy who just rolled his eyes.

** "Root beer!" They almost trampled each other as they galloped off. Chiron smiled. Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face. "Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."**

A couple of the girls giggled. The boys still didn't understand how they thought Mrs. O'Leary was adorable.

** "Chiron, thanks," I said. "Talk about saving the day." **

"Go Chiron!" They yelled.

**He shrugged. "I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend distance as we ride. **

"Well than, you have no excuse for being late!" Todd said in mock anger.

**Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organized." **

"No duh." Nancy muttered. They figured.

**"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.**

Wow. Everyone had forgotten about those.

** "They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out**.

"Well isn't that nice." Carlos grumbled.

**Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."**

"Hey!" Half the class yelled. Being a mortal wasn't all that bad, was it? At least they didn't rub shoulder with death every day.

** "So maybe other reinforcements can get through," I said hopefully.**

"Well that, would be great but did you have any reinforcements that might help?" Marisa asked. Percy opened his mouth to reply than shut it. He didn't have an answer.

**Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side . . ." **

"The Party Ponies won't do much." Marisa finished and no one objected this time.

**I understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. **

"Oh, darn." Todd said. "Wouldn't that make life easier."

**I half hoped Kronos had been squashed under that Hyperborean giant's butt, but I knew better.**

"That would be too much to ask for." Hailey said dryly.

**He'd be back, tonight at the latest.**

"At the latest?" Leila squeaked. She thought they would have more time!

** "And Typhon?" I asked. **

"Typhon?" Nancy asked, her voice a little too high. Percy nodded, answering Nancy for the first time.

"He escaped during the war and the gods were fighting him. That's why they weren't defending their home." Another thing explained, she thought. Maybe she wouldn't have to do extra reading.

**Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians. No one has seen him since. **

"It's not like he can die, right?" Nancy said, hoping she wasn't missing anything there.

"No," Percy answered. "but they can still get hurt." He seemed to be lost in memories and Nancy wondered what he had seen as a demigod.

**Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia. **

"Whoa." A kid said with wide eyes. That's crazy. Nancy was reminded of something she saw on the news about a new lake. She had a feeling this book would explain all the weird things that had happened over the summer.

**He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster cannot be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces-"**

"Boom." Brett said, mimicking the action with his hands. "We're all screwed." There was really no other way to put it and everyone prayed the gods had stopped Typhon.

**"Then what chance do we have?" I said. **

Not even Leila said anything to that.

**"We can't hold out another day." **

The once happy and laughing mood was now completely gone.

**"We'll have to," Thalia said. "I'll see about setting some new traps around the perimeter." She looked exhausted. Her jacket was smeared in grime and monster dust, but she managed to get to her feet and stagger off.**

Everyone was sympathetic and they were reminded once again that these kids fighting were there age. They surely wouldn't have been able to do this.

** "I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer."**

"But that's all the Party Ponies no how to do!" Brett said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

** I thought "too overboard" pretty much summed up the Party Ponies, but Chiron cantered off, leaving Annabeth and me alone. She cleaned the monster slime off her knife. I'd seen her do that hundreds of times, but I'd never thought about why she cared so much about the blade. **

"Now you know." Cara said softly remembering the flashbacks. Nancy had no idea though but kept quiet. She had a feeling another question wouldn't be appreciated.

**"At least your mom is okay," I offered. **

**"If you call fighting Typhon okay." **

"At least she can't die." Nancy said. In some ways they were lucky that way. Not that Nancy figured they were really all that attached to their godly parent. They probably rarely talked to them, if at all.

**She locked eyes with me. "Percy, even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think-" **

"It wasn't enough." Marisa spoke, pretending not to notice the glares sent her way.

**"I know." I had a bad feeling this might be our last chance to talk, and I felt like there were a million things I hadn't told her. **

"That's because there are." Hailey said. Maybe explaining some things to Annabeth could help. She was a daughter of Athena after all.

**"Listen, there were some . . . Some visions Hestia showed me." **

**"You mean about Luke?" **

Great, Nancy thought in annoyance. Another person.

**Maybe it was just a safe guess, but I got the feeling Annabeth knew what I'd been holding back. **

"She probably did." A boy said and Nancy gritted her teeth, annoyed she had no idea who this person was. She was obviously very smart, from what she learned from the class.

**Maybe she'd been having dreams of her own.**

"That wouldn't be so surprising." Cara said; they knew all about demigod dreams. Nancy however was growing very frustrated. Why did a dream matter? Okay, Maybe she would have to do some extra reading.

** "Yeah," I said. "You and Thalia and Luke. The first time you met. And the time you met Hermes." **

**Annabeth slipped her knife back into its sheath. "Luke promised he'd never let me get hurt. He said . . . He said we'd be a new family, and it would turn out better than his." **

"And look how well that turned out." Leila spat. He had totally broken his promise. Nancy groaned again, wondering who this kid was. Maybe a traitor demigod…? But it seemed more personal than that.

**Her eyes reminded me of that seven-year-old girl's in the alley- angry, scared, desperate for a friend. "Thalia talked to me earlier," I said. "She's afraid-" **

**"That I can't face Luke," she said miserably. **

"Why would she need to?" Nancy asked before she could stop herself. She wasn't supposed to care; it was school, but the curiosity was too much.

The class just shared knowing looks, happy that the positions had finally been switched and Percy brought no answer.

**I nodded. "But there's something else you should know. Ethan Nakamura seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control."**

"Wait, what?" Nancy was beyond confused now. What kind of book was this? Kronos was inside this kid's body?

Percy was the one who answered, "Luke Castellan was Kronos's host body. Kronos couldn't rise on his own yet." Percy's expression was guarded yet she could tell he was having fun taunting Nancy. But his answer did help, at least a little bit. She was extremely annoyed _Percy Jackson _knew more than her.

** Annabeth tried to hide it, but I could almost see her mind working on the possibilities, maybe starting to hope. "I didn't want to tell you," I admitted. **

Even Nancy knew why. He had helped her when she was a little girl and even if he had betrayed her, she would have trouble fighting Kronos because there was a possibility Luke might still be alive.

**She looked up at the Empire State Building. "Percy, for so much of my life, I felt like everything was changing, all the time. I didn't have anyone I could rely on." I nodded. That was something most demigods could understand.**

That must suck, some people thought being all alone all the time with no one to trust.

** "I ran away when I was seven," she said. "Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I'd found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately. What I'm saying . . . I hate it when people let me down, when things are temporary. I think that's why I want to be an architect." **

"Something that wouldn't just change." Leila said softly.

**"To build something permanent," I said. "A monument to last a thousand years."**

**She held my eyes. "I guess that sounds like my fatal flaw again." **

"Fatal flaw?" Nancy asked. She had given up on her plan on keeping quiet.

"Every demigod has one." Percy answered, but didn't elaborate. She huffed. He was being annoying on purpose.

**Years ago in the Sea of Monsters, Annabeth had told me her biggest flaw was pride-thinking she could fix anything. I'd even seen a glimpse of her deepest desire, shown to her by the Sirens' magic.**

A couple girls gave Percy smiles, well Percy blushed a little. They were perfect for each other; they knew everything about the other.

**Annabeth had imagined her mother and father together, standing in front of a newly rebuilt Manhattan, designed by Annabeth. And Luke had been there too-good again, welcoming her home. **

The class couldn't imagine Luke ever becoming good again and rolled their eyes. Annabeth was being naïve, but they didn't understand how much she had wanted it to be true, how close they had once been.

**"I guess I understand how you feel," I said. "But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you so many times. He was evil even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore." **

A couple girls cooed and Nancy rolled her eyes. That romance stuff was so annoying. She knew Annabeth wouldn't listen to that though.

**Annabeth pursed her lips. I could tell she was trying not to get mad. "And you'll understand if I keep hoping there's a chance you're wrong." I looked away. I felt like I'd done my best, but that didn't make me feel any better. **

Of course not, the mortals thought. Percy was like that.

**Across the street, the Apollo campers had set up a field hospital to tend the wounded-dozens of campers and almost as many Hunters. I was watching the medics work and thinking about our slim chances for holding Mount Olympus. **

Percy got some angry looks and Nancy was stuck again of Mt Olympus being in Manhattan.

**. . . And suddenly: I wasn't there anymore.**

Nancy was more surprised than anyone else. The mortals had gotten used to weird things like this.

** I was standing in a long dingy bar with black walls, neon signs, and a bunch of partying adults. **

At of all the places they could have gone this certainly wasn't it, the class thought. What could he do here?

**A banner across the bar read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY EARL. **

"Who is Bobby Earl?" Todd asked and even Percy shrugged his shoulders.

**Country music played on the speakers. Big guys in jeans and work shirts crowded the bar. Waitresses carried trays of drinks and shouted at each other. It was pretty much exactly the kind of place my mom would never let me go. **

A couple kids snorted and Paul knew Sally would definitely not approved.

**I was stuck in the very back of the room, next to the bathrooms (which didn't smell so great) and a couple of antique arcade games. "Oh good, you're here," said the man at the Pac-Man machine. "I'll have a Diet Coke." **

Some laughed at the guy thinking Percy was a waiter. After learning all that he had done it didn't fit.

**He was a pudgy guy in a leopard-skin Hawaiian shirt, purple shorts, red running shoes, and black socks, which didn't exactly make him blend in with the crowd. **

Percy was smirking at every one laughing at this weird guy. Once they figured out he was a god…

**His nose was bright red. A bandage was wrapped around his curly black hair like he was recovering from a concussion. I blinked. "Mr. D?" **

Nancy was the only one wondering who Mr. D was. Before she could ask Brett spoke. "That's what Dionysus looks like?" His eyes wide, laughing along with everyone else. "Oh gods that's priceless."

"Wait, that's Dionysus?" Nancy asked in shock. "How do you-"

"Camp director." Percy answered and gave Paul the keep reading motion before any more questions could be asked. Nancy was more lost than ever with a million questions running through her head, like what Camp?!

**He sighed, not taking his eyes from the game. "Really, Peter Johnson, how long will it take for you to recognize me on sight?" **

"Peter Johnson?" Carlos asked.

"Told you he couldn't get my name right." Percy grumbled.

**"About as long as it'll take for you to figure out my name," I muttered. **

Nancy was shocked Percy would talk to a god like that, although from the class's expressions he had done worse.

**"Where are we?"**

** "Why, Bobby Earl's birthday party," **

"That explains a lot." Someone grumbled.

**Dionysus said. "Somewhere in lovely rural America."**

**"I thought Typhon swatted you out of the sky. They said you crash- landed." **

Oh yeah, the class thought; they had forgotten about that. It explained why he wasn't fighting with the other gods.

**"Your concern is touching. I did crash-land. Very painfully. In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine. It will be several more hours before I have enough strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my consciousness is here." **

"Why in Hades would he want go here?" Cara asked, wrinkling her nose.

**"At a bar, playing Pac-Man." **

"Exactly."

**"Party time," Dionysus said. "Surely you've heard of it. Wherever there is a party, my presence is invoked. **

"That is sweet!" Brett said. "But surely he can find a better party?"

**Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once. The only problem was finding a party. I don't know if you're aware how serious things are outside your safe little bubble of New York-" **

"Safe little bubble my butt." Percy grumbled. He probably would have died without the curse.

**"Safe little bubble?" **

**"-but believe me, the mortals out here in the heartland are panicking. Typhon has terrified them. Very few are throwing parties.**

"The mortals grimaced wondering what it would have been like if they had been outside Manhattan. Definitely terrifying.

**Apparently Bobby Earl and his friends, bless them, are a little slow. They haven't yet figured out that the world is ending." **

"The world is not ending." Leila said, well everyone else was laughing. Nancy was surprised at the amusement of this book. Frighteningly she was – enjoying it.

**"So . . . I'm not really here?" **

"Well that's mind blowing." Todd said.

**"No. In a moment I'll send you back to your normal insignificant life, and it will be as if nothing had happened." **

"Normal and insignificant..?" Cara and pretty much every one else muttered. Yeah right.

"And why did you bring me here?"

**Dionysus snorted. "Oh, I didn't want you particularly. Any of you silly heroes would do. That Annie girl-" **

**"Annabeth." **

Now everyone could see why having him as a camp director was torture. He was horrible and annoying!Not that anyone would ever say that out loud. Dionysus would probably fry them.

**"The point is," he said, "I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger." **

"No duh, Sherlock." Nancy muttered. Like they didn't know that. She had just started reading and even she knew the situation was bad.

**"Gee," I said. "Never would've figured that out. Thanks." He glared at me and momentarily forgot his game. Pac-Man got eaten by the red ghost dude. **

"oh, no!" Brett yelled in horror.

**"Erre es korakas, Blinky!"**

The class laughed as Paul fumbled over the Greek words. Not like they knew what it meant…

** Dionysus cursed. "I will have your soul!"**

"That's not weird at all." Cara said an odd look matching those of her classmates. Nancy was hoping all the gods didn't act like this.

**"Um, he's a video game character," I said. **

**"That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, Jorgenson!" **

"Jorgenson." Todd snickered with a laugh but stopped after a glare from Percy. Jeez, Nancy thought. Who knew Jackson could be scary?

"Jackson."

**"Whichever! Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilization-" **

"Puny!" The class yelled indignantly.

**The game played a song and Mr. D progressed to level 254.**

"Whoo." Carlos said. "Someone's a little obsessed."

** "Ha!" he shouted. "Take that, you pixelated fiends!"**

"Oh, gods he is crazy." Hailey muttered.

"Well he is the god of craziness." Todd smirked. Paul was shocked he even knew that.

** "Um, fabric of civilization," I prompted. **

**"Yes, yes. Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but mark my words, the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilization. Art, law, wine tastings, music, video games, **

"Not the video games." The boys yelled.

**silk shirts, black velvet paintings-all the things that make life worth living will disappear!" **

"Well isn't that nice." Nancy said with wide eyes. The cost of losing just became a lot bigger.

**"So why aren't the gods rushing back to help us?" I said. "We should combine forces at Olympus. Forget Typhon." **

"And then once you defeat Kronos Typhon will destroy everything." Marisa said, causing Percy to scowl.

**He snapped his fingers impatiently. "You forgot my Diet Coke." **

"Are you serious!" Hailey said. "He's unbelievable!"

"Well, that's Mr. D." Percy said bitterly.

**"Gods, you're annoying." I got the attention of a waitress and ordered the stupid soda. I put it on Bobby Earl's tab.**

"What?" Percy asked in response to the looks he was getting. "No one would notice."

**Mr. D took a good long drink. His eyes never left the video game. "The truth is, Pierre-"**

"Pierre," Leila rolled her eyes. "He's doing it on purpose."

"and you're just now getting that?" Percy grumbled.

"Percy."

**"-the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves-" **

**"Like Pan," I said, "depending on the satyrs to save the Wild." **

**"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around." **

The mortals smirked. At least the gods depended on something.

"I feel so wanted. Thanks."

**"Use the training I have given you at camp." **

**"What training?" **

"Isn't that what you do at camp," Marisa asked. "you know train?"

"Yeah but Mr. D doesn't teach us anything." Percy retorted. "All he does is sit on his butt all day and complain."

**"You know. All those hero techniques and . . . No!" Mr. D slapped the game console. "Na pari i eychi! **

Paul fumbled again on the Greek, making it sound like gibberish.

**The last level!" He looked at me, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. **

"Well that's a little scary." Todd admitted.

**"As I recall, I once predicted you would turn out to be as selfish as all the other human heroes. Well, here is your chance to prove me wrong." **

**"Yeah, making you proud is real high on my list." **

Nancy realized Percy was always this sassy to the gods. She had no idea Jackson would have the guts and it shocked her a lot.

**"You must save Olympus, Pedro! **

"Oh gods." Everyone was laughing; it was too funny.

**Leave Typhon to the Olympians and save our own seats of power. It must be done!"**

"Well that was really helpful." Leila muttered.

** "Great. Nice little chat. Now, if you don't mind, my friends will be wondering-" **

**"There is more," Mr. D warned. **

"Of course there is." Andrew drawled. He wasn't being very helpful and it would be best if Percy could just leave.

**"Kronos has not yet attained full power. The body of the mortal was only a temporary measure." **

"Well we knew that." Marisa said. Wasn't he supposed to be helping?

**"We kind of guessed that." **

**"And did you also guess that within a day at most, Kronos will burn away that mortal body and take on the true form of a Titan king?"**

"Yikes." Brett said. "I'm guessing that's not good?"

** "And that would mean . . ." **

**Dionysus inserted another quarter. **

"Again with the Pac-Man!" Hailey cried.

**"You know about the true forms of the gods." **

**"Yeah. You can't look at them without burning up."**

"And then it would be pretty much impossible to beat him." Marisa said grimly.

** "Kronos would be ten times more powerful. His very presence would incinerate you. And once he achieves this, he will empower the other Titans. They are weak now, compared to what they will soon become, unless you can stop them. **

"So you just have to beat them before them." Leila said trying to remain hopefully.

**The world will fall, the gods will die, and I will never achieve a perfect score on this stupid machine." **

"Because that's really important." Carlos muttered. He really was obsessed.

**Maybe I should've been terrified, but honestly, I was already about as scared as I could get. "Can I go now?" I asked. **

**"One last thing. My son Pollux. Is he alive?" **

That wasn't what they were expecting.

**I blinked. "Yeah, last I saw him." **

**"I would very much appreciate it if you could keep him that way. I lost his brother Castor last year-"**

"Whoa." Cara said softly. "I didn't think he cared." No one thought he would. They wondered if any of the other Olympians cared as well. But if they cared so much why did they completely ignore them and leave them to the monsters?

** "I remember." I stared at him, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that Dionysus could be a caring father. I wondered how many other Olympians were thinking about their demigod children right now. **

"Hopefully all of them." Leila said. They were parents even if they were also gods.

**"I'll do my best." **

**"Your best," Dionysus muttered. "Well, isn't that reassuring. Go now. You have some nasty surprises to deal with, and I must defeat Blinky!" **

"Great. Just great." Andrew said. "They're fighting for their lives with more happy surprises, trying to defeat Kronos and you're trying to defeat a video game character. Great."

**"Nasty surprises?" He waved his hand, and the bar disappeared. I was back on Fifth Avenue. Annabeth hadn't moved. She didn't give any sign that I'd been gone or anything.**

"Okay," Nancy muttered. "That isn't weird."

** She caught me staring and frowned. "What?" **

**"Um . . . Nothing, I guess."**

Some kids groaned. "Come on!" Hailey said. "It would save you a lot of trouble if you just told her!"

** I gazed down the avenue, wondering what Mr. D had meant by nasty surprises. How much worse could it get? My eyes rested on a beat-up blue car. The hood was badly dented, like somebody had tried to hammer out some huge craters. My skin tingled. Why did that car look so familiar? Then I realized it was a Prius. Paul's Prius.**

"Whoo." Brett said. "There you are again Mr. B."

Paul gave him a small smile in response. "I never was able to get the car fixed." He mused. Nancy was very confused. What did their English teacher have to do with anything? She decided not to ask and kept quiet. No one else was confused.

** I bolted down the street. "Percy!" Annabeth called. "Where are you going?" Paul was passed out in the driver's seat. **

"Come on Mr. Blofis!" Andrew said. "No sleeping and driving!" The English teacher just continued to read after giving Andrew and amused look.

**My mom was snoring beside him. **

It finally clicked for Nancy. Paul was Percy's step-dad. She was actually quite proud of herself for figuring it out although it was definitely weird. She wondered how Percy stood it., but he didn't seem embarrassed at all.

**My mind felt like mush. How had I not seen them before? They'd been sitting here in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and I hadn't even noticed.**

"Sorry," Percy said sheepishly to Paul.

"It's okay." Paul said. It was a small Father – son bonding moment.

** "They . . . They must've seen those blue lights in the sky." I rattled the doors but they were locked. "I need to get them out." **

"Thanks for that." Paul said to Percy. "Wouldn't what to be monster chow, would I?" He caused some people to crack smiles.

**"Percy," Annabeth said gently. **

**"I can't leave them here!" I sounded a little crazy. I pounded on the windshield. "I have to move them. I have to-" **

Percy was blushing, now.

**"Percy, just . . . Just hold on." Annabeth waved to Chiron, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. "We can push the car to a side street, all right? They're going to be fine."**

"Wouldn't what my favorite teacher to die." Cara said, smiling.

"Why thank you." Paul said.

** My hands trembled. After all I'd been through over the last few days, I felt so stupid and weak, but the sight of my parents made me want to break down. **

"Aww." Some of the girls said. Percy was blushing but he and Paul shared a smile. No one paid any mind to Jared who was muttering "Mama's boy."

**Chiron galloped over. "What's . . . Oh dear. I see " **

**"They were coming to find me," I said. "My mom must've sensed something was wrong." **

"She's a good mom." Leila said and Percy nodded. It was true. Sally was the best.

**"Most likely," Chiron said. "But, Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job." Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. Seat-belted behind my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness. **

"Okay that's scary." Marisa muttered. Wasn't it supposed to be in a vault? Nancy was wondering what the big deal about a jar was. There had been weirder things.

**"No way," I muttered. Annabeth pressed her hand to the window. "That's impossible! I thought you left that at the Plaza."**

** "Locked in a vault," I agreed. **

"Why what's so special about it?" Nancy asked in frustration. It was a jar! And of course, she got no answer.

**Chiron saw the jar and his eyes widened. "That isn't- " **

**"Pandora's jar."**

"Whoa." Nancy said, shocked. She wondered how they had gotten their hands on it. Not like it seemed like they wanted it. "Isn't it supposed to be a box?" Was all she managed to say and the class just shook their heads. She wondered if she would ever stop getting surprised.

** I told him about my meeting with Prometheus. "Then the jar is yours," Chiron said grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest." **

"Now, isn't that just great." Leila said. "That's a big help."

**Like now, I thought. Looking at my helpless parents. I imagined Prometheus smiling, so anxious to help out us poor mortals.**

"Yeah right!" Marisa said. "He's fake and cunning."

**Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. **

"I bet lenient isn't even in his vocabulary." Todd scoffed.

**Anger surged through me. I drew Riptide and cut through the driver's side window like it was made of plastic wrap. "We'll put the car in neutral," I said. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus." **

Marisa nodded happy Percy had finally said something smart.

**Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy . . ." Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. A mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance-the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter. **

That was a shocker. No mortals could get in and Kronos wouldn't be using a helicopter…

**On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the oddest thing I'd ever heard. **

Nancy was curious, she hadn't thought of the mortals and then she remembered Mr. Blofis and his wife asleep in the car. It made no sense.

**A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. It was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side. **

"How did it get through..?" Marisa asked but trailed off, and for once just listened for the book to give her an answer.

**The words under the logo were too small to read, but I knew what they said: DARE ENTERPRISES. **

"It's Rachel!" Someone said and a couple people cheered. They had a feeling she would be able to help. Nancy of course had no idea who this person was. Maybe another demigod?

**My throat closed up. I looked at Annabeth and could tell she recognized the logo too. Her face was as red as the helicopter. "What is she doing here?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get through the barrier?" **

"Someone sounds jealous." Samantha chimed in. She was ignored as usual.

**"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough-"**

"Apparently Rachel is." Carlos said with a smirk. If she could see through the Mist maybe she could stay awake.

** Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward. "The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. **

"What's that?" Nancy cut in, knowing she would have to get answers herself.

"Morpheus put an enchantment around Manhattan so all the mortals would fall asleep." Percy answered. "Wouldn't want them getting in the way."

"Oh." Was all Nancy could say. She tried to remember this day in her head but came up emoty. Had she really been asleep that long?

**"The foolish mortal pilot is asleep." **

Or maybe not.

**I watched in horror as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office buildings. Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming near the Empire State Building. I was too paralyzed to move, but Annabeth whistled and Guido the pegasus swooped out of nowhere. You rang for a handsome horse? he asked. **

"I like him." Brett said. "He's sassy."

**"Come on, Percy, " Annabeth growled. "We have to save your friend."**

**-0-**

**So what do you think? I like how this came out. Except for the end… That was a pain. And you will probably notice, sometimes i forgot Nancy was there. Anyway the reason I wasn't able to update sooner is because I apparently won't be spending my summer laying around all day. I have lacrosse from 9 am – 4 pm and by the time I get home I'm pretty much dead on my feet and ready to sleep. Not a lot of time for writing. So I dunno when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully soon but I'll be out all weekend. **

**Okay guys, I officially love you all. I literally fangirled, because guess what?! I got a hundred reviews last chapter. Oh my gods it was amazing. Thanks a bunches and keep it up. I want to know what you think of this chapter. Was the beginning boring? Did I do a good job on Nancy's reactions?**

**YOU can skip this part if you want. It's just July 1****st**** was such an emotional day. First of all it was Jason's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON! I like Jason. I think he has his reasons for acting the way he does. And then that was also the day Percabeth fell into Tartarus. Oh gods, the feels… I can't. Lastly, on that day, eight years ago the Lightning thief was first released. I don't think I need to explain that one.**

**Okay this was another insanely long A/N. I'll try to make them shorter. Review! **


	21. Chapter 20

**I'm back, with a new chapter! Sorry about the really long wait but I've been really busy and it doesn't help when you have major writers block. Is there any way to get rid of writers block? Oh well, enjoy the chapter**!

Percy had managed to get up early enough to get a ride with Paul and was, for once at school on time. Of course, with coming to school at the early time teachers had to arrive he was left waiting in the classroom for class to start. After a good five minutes of watching the class slowly stream in and trying to ignore the whispers sent his way he decided a nap wouldn't hurt. What was school for if not for catching up on missed sleep?

Percy was woken by the sound of the bell. Great, he thought, another chapter of humiliation. Paul was still organizing papers on his desk and Percy's wondering if he could snag a couple more minutes of sleep was interrupted with the loud bang of the classroom door opening and the sound of two girls arguing.

With all the gossip and drama that Goode held fighting girls wasn't exactly a rarity but the voices sounded oddly familiar, in a good way. Looking up he felt a sinking feeling recognizing them; Annabeth Chase and Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Separate, Poved hanging out with them, especially Annabeth because than there would be kisses, but together they were like a bomb ready to go off.

Upon entering the classroom the two girls stopped fighting realizing they had gained every student in the room's attention. Not that they hadn't met both girls before.

"Hello, Mr. Blofis." Rachel said cheerfully well Annabeth scowled. "Do you mind if we sit in on today's class?" Oh, great Percy thought, remembering what chapter they were up to. This would be good.

"Of course not," Paul said, giving Percy a glance. He smiled at his step-son's shocked looked. "But, erm, what happened?" The girls both looked blank until giving their clothes a look. There was a thin layer of monster remains and some rips. Dirt stains had been added to Rachel's usual paint splattered pants. Remembrance dawned on their faces and now both girls were scowling.

"Well you see, I was in town and I had a little run in with a monster." Rachel shrugged sheepishly. "Not sure what it wanted to do with me though. Mortals probably don't taste very good. Anyway someone here decided I needed saving and butted in."

"Please," Annabeth cut in. "You would have been monster chow. And it wouldn't have been the first time I saved you, Dare."

Rachel snorted and opened her mouth obviously ready to argue but Annabeth beat her to it. "I was actually heading over here, when I ran into her and she decided she just had to tag along." You could hear the trace of dislike in her words.

"Hey!" Rachel said but the argument was prevented by Paul who motioned to seats in the back near Percy who was smirking at the arguing girls finding it slightly amusing.

"If you could take a seat please we will be beginning class." Paul said picking up the dreaded book.

The demigod and mortal quickly headed to the back trying to ignore Percy's now annoyed looks. Finally class began.

**Here's my definition of not fun. Fly a pegasus toward an out-of control** **helicopter**.

Well Rachel gave Percy an apologetic look, Brett spoke up, "Come on, that is so cool! It's like what they do in those action movies!"

**If Guido had been any less of a fancy flier, we would've been chopped to confetti.**

"And that would not be fun." Hailey said, giving Brett a pointed look.

**I could hear Rachel screaming inside.**

Rachel blushed a little. "Not one of my best moments." She muttered.

**For some reason, she hadn't fallen asleep,**

"That's not fair!" Todd cried. "Why do you get to stay awake?"

"Trust me," Rachel said, but she had a slightly smug look. "When I was in that helicopter I would have loved to be a sleep. A lot better than being scared to death."

**but I could see the pilot slumped over the controls, pitching back and forth as the helicopter wobbled toward the side of an office building.**

"And you didn't try to fly the helicopter?" Marisa asked.

Rachel raised her hand in surrender. "I was scared and I didn't have a clue what all those buttons did." She defended.

"So I had to come and save your butt." Annabeth said only loud enough for Rachel to hear,who rolled her eyes in return. She was grateful though.

**"Ideas?" I asked Annabeth.**

Good thing he was asking Annabeth for a plan, Nancy thought dryly. Even if he was a demigod that didn't change the fact that Percy was not very smart at all.

**"You're going to have to take Guido and get out," she said.**

"And so you're going to do something?" A boy asked.

"You have a problem with that?" Annabeth snapped angrily. She hated it when people underestimated her.

"N-no." The boy stuttered. Most people had faith in Annabetg. She wasn't like Percy; she wouldn't rush into a situation without a plan and as a daughter of Athena her plans had to work.

"What are you going to do?"

**In response, she said, "Hyah!" and Guido went into a nosedive.**

**"Duck!" Annabeth yelled.**

**We passed so close to the rotors I felt the force of the blades ripping at my hair.**

"Good." Rachel teased. "You needed a hair cut." Percy sent the red head a half hearted glare, which she ignored.

**We zipped along the side of the helicopter, and Annabeth grabbed the door.**

"You know how to fly a helicopter?" Andrew asked in amazement.

"Somewhat." Annabeth said with a shrug of her shoulders. She had figured it wouldn't be that hard to figure out, especially after living with her dad.

**That's when things went wrong.**

"Of course something has to go wrong." Leila grumbled. Nothing could ever go according to plan.

Guido's wing slammed against the helicopter. He plummeted straight down with me on his back, leaving Annabeth dangling from the side of the aircraft.

Everyone leaned forward waiting for Paul to continue in tension and it was times like this that Nancy didn't understand. Percy ( sadly ), Annabeth and Rachel were all right there so why was everyone all worried? They would be okay.

**I was so terrified I could barely think, but as Guido spiraled I caught a glimpse of Rachel pulling Annabeth inside the copter.**

"Ha!" Rachel said to a seemingly annoyed Annabeth. "I saved your life too."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have needn't to save my life if you hadn't been so stupid." Annabeth retorted.

Rachel had no answer to that but she grumbled, "At least I came for a reason."

"**Hang in there!" I yelled at Guido.**

**My wing, he moaned. It's busted.**

"Well that can't be good." Leila said, almost to herself.

**"You can do it!" I desperately tried to remember what Silena used to tell us in pegasus-riding lessons.**

"You have pegasus-riding lessons?" Cara asked in excitement. "That is so cool. You have everything at that camp!" Percy and Annabeth shared smiles thinking about camp and even Nancy could agree that that camp was amazing, now that she actually knew what camp they were talking about.

**"Just relax the wing. Extend it and glide."**

**We fell like a rock-straight toward the pavement three hundred feet below. At the last moment Guido extended his wings.**

Some couldn't help it and let out relieved sighs.

**I saw the faces of centaurs gaping up at us. Then we pulled out of our dive, sailed fifty feet, and tumbled onto the pavement-pegasus over demigod.**

"That sounds painful." Carlos winced. Everything demigods did seemed to be painful.

**Ow! Guido moaned. My legs. My head. My wings.**

"Poor Guido." Samantha said in sympathy.

**Chiron galloped over with his medical pouch and began working on the pegasus.**

A lot of the class smiled at that.

**I got to my feet. When I looked up, my heart crawled into my throat. The helicopter was only a few seconds away from slamming into the side of the building.**

Everyone held there breath well Annabeth and Rachel gave them amused looks. They were right there, alive, after all.

**Then miraculously the helicopter righted itself. It spun in a circle and hovered. Very slowly, it began to descend.**

Annabeth smirked at the classes wide eyes and relived looks. "Athena always has a plan." She said.

**I ran forward as the rotors spun to a stop. Rachel opened the side door and dragged out the pilot.**

"I don't think you ever did thank me." Annabeth said with a smug look. She hadn't exactly wanted to save the mortal girl at the time, and although she was happy she had now it was nice to have it over Rachel.

Rachel just shrugged. "No, I don't think so."

**Rachel was still dressed like she was on vacation, in beach shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals.**

"I didn't have time to change." Rachel said like she needed to defend herself.

**Her hair was tangled and her face was green from the helicopter ride.**

**Annabeth climbed out last.**

**I stared at her in awe. "I didn't know you could fly a helicopter."**

Annabeth gave Percy a 'I know all' look. "Never underestimate Athena's children." She said.

**"Neither did I," she said.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes as the class laughed around her.

**"My dad's crazy into aviation.**

Percy nodded at that remembering when Mr. Chase had come to the rescue in his biplane.

**Plus, Daedalus had some notes on flying machines. I just took my best guess on the controls."**

"And what if your guesses were wrong?" Nancy asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "My guesses are usually right." Neither herself or Rachel recognized the red head but decided not to ask. She was probably just a new kid.

**"You saved my life," Rachel said.**

"Way to state the obvious." Brett said.

"And that wasn't a thank you." Leila added.

**Annabeth flexed her bad shoulder. "Yeah, well . . . let's not make a habit of it.**

Annabeth gave Rachel a pointed look. She had saved her just today and Rachel grumbled she could have taken care of it.

**What are you doing here, Dare? Don't you know better than to fly into a war zone?"**

"Apparently not." Andrew said with a tsk tsk. "Didn't your mother teach you better?"

**"I-" Rachel glanced at me. "I had to be here. I knew Percy was in trouble."**

Samantha gave a small coo and both Rachel and Percy blushed. Annabeth was glaring at a certain Oracle. Sure she and Rachel were friends now, but remembering this rubbed her the wrong way.

**"Got that right," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some injured friends I've got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel."**

**'Annabeth-" I called.**

**She stormed off.**

"Some one is jealous." Samantha said but stopped because well Annabeth could be scary. Percy put a comforting arm around Annabeth, who relaxed a little.

Nancy realized they had gotten together and everyone but her knew it. She was still amazed at how Jackson could get a girlfriend. Especially one so pretty, but she wasn't as surprised as she might have been after catching up on the book.

**Rachel plopped down on the curb and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to . . . I always mess things up." It was kind of hard to argue with her,**

Rachel sent Percy a glare. "Well isn't that nice."

**though I was glad she was safe. I looked in the direction Annabeth had gone, but she'd disappeared into the crowd. I couldn't believe what she'd just done-saved Rachel's life, landed a helicopter, and walked away like it was no big deal.**

Annabeth shrugged at the looks sent her way not explaining. It was weird hearing about Annabeth acting so cold to Rachel in the book than acting like friends in front of them.

**"It's okay," I told Rachel, though my words sounded hollow. "So what's the message you wanted to deliver?"**

**She frowned. "How did you know about that?"**

**"A dream."**

"Dreams might be useful but they're still annoying." Percy grumbled. He hated them.

**Rachel didn't look surprised. She tugged at her beach shorts. They were covered in drawings, which wasn't unusual for her,**

Rachel shrugged as everyone turned to look at her taking in the drawings and marker on her pants.

**but these symbols I recognized: Greek letters, pictures from camp beads, sketches of monsters and faces of gods.**

"That's kind of creepy." Todd said hesitantly. How had she known what those things looked like?

**I didn't understand how Rachel could have known about some of that. She'd never been to Olympus or Camp Half-Blood.**

Marisa was thinking, trying to fit everything together, but came up empty. Rachel found great amusement at everyone's confused looks.

**"I've been seeing things too," she muttered.**

"Somebody is going crazy." Brett said, not very subtly.

**"I mean, not just through the Mist. This is different. I've been drawing pictures, writing lines-"**

**"In Ancient Greek," I said**.

"You know Ancient Greek?" Nancy cut in. The mortal was more of a freak than she thought. Even if Percy was powerful he was and always would be a freak.

"No." Rachel said, leaving everyone confused.

**"Do you know what they say?"**

Marisa shook her head wondering how you could write something without knowing what you were writing.

**"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping . . . well, if you had gone with us on vacation, I was hoping you could have helped me figure out what's happening to me."**

"You sound like one of those people who are turning into a werewolf on those horror movies or something." Brett injected.

**She looked at me pleadingly. Her face was sunburned from the beach. Her nose was peeling. I couldn't get over the shock that she was here in person. She'd forced her family to cut short their vacation, agreed to go to a horrible school, and flown a helicopter into a monster battle just to see me.**

"I am amazing aren't I." Rachel said, smirking at Percy.

**In her own way, she was as brave as Annabeth.**

"I take offense to that." Annabeth huffed giving her boyfriend a glare.

**But what was happening to her with these visions really freaked me out.**

"Well that must be bad if it's freaking the demigod out." Andrew said.

**Maybe it was something that happened to all mortals who could see through the Mist. But my mom had never talked about anything like that.**

"Your mom could see through the Mist?" Cara asked. "Could a lot of people?"

"Um, not really." Percy answered. "Only a few and most of the ones that could just thought it was their imagination."

It's a whole family of freaks, Nancy thought.

**And Hestia's words about Luke's mom kept coming back to me: May Castellan went too far. She tried to see too much.**

Something about May Castellans past and Rachel are connected but what, Marisa thought. Maybe it had something to do with the Oracle.

**"Rachel," I said, "I wish I knew. Maybe we should ask Chiron-"**

**She flinched like she'd gotten an electric shock. "Percy, something is about to happen. A trick that ends in death."**

"Great." Leila said. "More death." Annabeth and Percy were both looking down sadly.

**"What do you mean? Whose death?"**

Silena's those who knew thought sadly. At least she had died a hero.

**"I don't know." She looked around nervously. "Don't you feel it?"**

"Because that is totally normal." Nancy said dryly.

**"Is that the message you wanted to tell me?"**

"It better not have been." Annabeth said.

**"No." She hesitated. "I'm sorry. I'm not making sense,**

"You got that right."

**but that thought just came to me. The message I wrote on the beach was different. It had your name in it."**

**"Perseus," I remembered. "In Ancient Greek."**

"Wow." Nancy muttered. "It's a revolution." What happened to the action?

**Rachel nodded. "I don't know its meaning. But I know it's important. You have to hear it. It said, Perseus, you are not the hero."**

The room became very silent, no one knowing what to say. Percy was glaring at the desk, as was Annabeth remembering Luke. "And that's supposed to mean..?" Marisa asked.

Percy just shook his head gesturing for a confused Paul to read. Nancy however, was beaming. She knew that Jackson couldn't be some great hero. It defied logic. Someone else, someone strong and handsome could be the hero as it should be.

**I stared at her like she'd just slapped me. "You came thousands of miles to tell me I'm not the hero?"**

"Well it does sound stupid when you put it like that." Hailey said, very confused by the message. After hearing about everything Percy had done and how powerful he was how was he not the hero?

**"It's important," she insisted. "It will affect what you do."**

The class groaned. They never got straight answers.

**"Not the hero of the prophecy?" I asked. "Not the hero who defeats Kronos? What do you mean?"**

"Isn't that what we're all wondering." Carlos muttered.

**"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Percy. That's all I know. I had to tell you because-"**

**"Well!" Chiron cantered over. "This must be Miss Dare."**

"Great timing." Andrew grumbled. Maybe they could have finally gotten an answer.

**I wanted to yell at him to go away, but of course I couldn't. I tried to get my emotions under control. I felt like I had another personal hurricane swirling around me.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. He was just like his father.

**"Chiron, Rachel Dare," I said. "Rachel, this is my teacher Chiron."**

**"Hello," Rachel said glumly. She didn't look at all surprised that Chiron was a centaur.**

"She probably saw it in one of her wacky visions." Brett said waggling his eyebrows. Rachel didn't denied it.

**"You are not asleep, Miss Dare," he noticed. "And yet you are mortal?"**

"I guess I'm just special." Rachel said with a grin.

**"I'm mortal," she agreed, like it was a depressing thought.**

"Yup." Annabeth cut in. "Mortals live such boring lives." Even said mortals knew it was true. They didn't envy the demigods painful lives but at least it was always exciting.

**"The pilot fell asleep as soon as we passed the river. I don't know why I didn't. I just knew I had to be here, to warn Percy."**

"And what a great warning that was." Percy grumbled. "You just made me more confused."

**"Warn Percy?"**

**"She's been seeing things," I said. "Writing lines and making drawings."**

"And that still explains nothing." Marisa cursed. She wished something for once would just make sense in this book.

**Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Tell me."**

**She told him the same things she'd told me.**

"Which was pretty much nothing." Todd said. All the boys were waiting for action.

**Chiron stroked his beard. "Miss Dare . . . perhaps we should talk."**

"Enough with the talking!" Andrew said. "Let's go kill more monsters!"

"Those monsters retreated for now." Hailey pointed out. "So unless you want to storm enemy base..."

**"Chiron," I blurted. I had a sudden terrible image of Camp HalfBlood in the 1990s, and May Castellan's scream coming from that attic. "You . . . you'll help Rachel, right? I mean, you'll warn her that she's got to be careful with this stuff. Not go too far."**

Rachel's heart thudded a little, wondering what had happened to her. It seemed the life of an Oracle was very dangerous.

**His tail flicked like it does when he's anxious. "Yes, Percy. I will do my best to understand what is happening and advise Miss Dare, but this may take some time. Meanwhile, you should rest. We've moved your parents' car to safety. The enemy seems to be staying put for now.**

"Good." Marisa said. They needed time to regroup. Other people groaned. That meant no more fighting and action.

**We've set up bunks in the Empire State Building. Get some sleep."**

**"Everybody keeps telling me to sleep," I grumbled. "I don't need sleep."**

"Yeah right." Annabeth snorted. "You looked like a zombie."

"Well that isn't very nice to say to your boyfriend." Percy teased her. Nancy gagged, her suspicions confirmed of them dating. How could Jackson have a girlfriend and she was still single?

**Chiron managed a smile. "Have you looked at yourself recently, Percy?"**

**I glanced down at my clothes, which were scorched, burned, sliced, and tattered from my night of constant battles. "I look like death," I admitted.**

Annabeth gave Percy a look that said 'I told you so'.

**"But you think I can sleep after what just happened?"**

**"You may be invulnerable in combat," Chiron chided, but that only makes your body tire faster. I remember Achilles.**

The mortals shouldn't have been surprised Chiron knew Achilles but they were.

**Whenever that lad wasn't fighting, he was sleeping. He must've taken twenty naps a day.**

Brett groaned. "Well at least you have an excuse to sleep all day."

**You, Percy, need your rest. You may be our only hope."**

Nancy snorted. No one could Jackson save the world. Even after reading about how powerful he was she wouldn't accept it.

**I wanted to complain that I wasn't their only hope, According to Rachel, I wasn't even the hero.**

"Such a drama queen." Rachel teased. "Haven't you learned that things have double meanings?"

Percy just grumbled something no one could hear.

**But the look in Chiron's eyes made it clear he wasn't going to take no for an answer.**

**"Sure," I grumbled. "Talk."**

**I trudged toward the Empire State Building. When I glanced back, Rachel and Chiron were walking together in earnest conversation, like they were discussing funeral arrangements.**

"I swear you can be so pessimistic on the inside." Leila said.

**Inside the lobby, I found an empty bunk and collapsed, sure that I would never be able to sleep. A second later, my eyes closed.**

Some kids snorted and laughed. He could fall asleep in one second flat.

**In my dreams, I was back in Hades's garden.**

"You know," Cara said. "Normally kids dream of happy fun things, not the land of the dead."

Percy shrugged and gave her a smile. "What can I say? I'm just special like that."

**The lord of the dead paced up and down, holding his ears while Nico followed him, waving his arms.**

Everyone laughed at the idea of the God of the dead acting like a little kid who didn't like what he was hearing.

**"You have to!" Nico insisted.**

**Demeter and Persephone sat behind them at the breakfast table.**

"Wait a minute!" Andrew yelled. "Why aren't they helping? Do they want Kronos to win?"

**Both of the goddesses looked bored.**

"Well you wouldn't be so bored if you were up on earth fighting instead of acting like cowards." Andrew grumbled.

**Demeter poured shredded wheat into four huge bowls. Persephone was magically changing the flower arrangement on the table, turning the blossoms from red to yellow to polka-dotted.**

"Sounds like they're very busy." Hailey mumbled. As the book went on the gods were sounding less and less- we'll god- like.

**"I don't have to do anything!" Hades s eyes blazed. "I'm a god!"**

"Yeah which means you have responsibilities." Marisa snapped. Gods, they were acting like kids!

**"Father," Nico said, "if Olympus falls, your own palace's safety doesn't matter. You'll fade too."**

"Finally some sense." Marisa grumbled.

**"I am not an Olympian!" he growled. "My family has made that quite clear."**

Leila frowned. She had thought Hades was an Olympian but she guesses being god of dead down grounded you and made you an outcast. Not that that was fair.

**"You are,'' Nico said. "Whether you like it or not."**

**"You saw what they did to your mother," Hades said. "Zeus killed her. And you would have me help them? They deserve what they get!"**

"You'll just eventually suffer the same fate." Cara said, as if she could talk him into helping. Gods she had learned, were very dense and only heard what they wanted.

**Persephone sighed. She walked her fingers across the table, absently turning the silverware into roses.**

"How helpful." Nancy muttered. So far throughout the book she hasn't yet seen why the gods were so important. They did nothing but sat on their butts and let everyone else take care of things for them.

**"Could we please not talk about that woman?"**

"Ooo." Samantha said. "Jealous goddess."

**"You know what would help this boy?" Demeter mused. "Farming."**

"At least she's given the cereal a break." Annabeth said.

**Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother-"**

**"Six months behind a plow. Excellent character building."**

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Marisa cried, clearly frustrated. The two demigods knew that after dealing with gods for years it was very tough to change there minds and were most of the time just stubborn brats.

**Nico stepped in front of his father, forcing Hades to face him. "My mother understood about family. That's why she didn't want to leave us. You can't just abandon your family because they did something horrible. You've done horrible things to them too."**

"Whoa." Brett said. "Goth boy said something pretty deep." He earned a smack from Hailey.

**"Maria died!" Hades reminded him.**

"People die all the time." Leila said sadly. There had already been many loses in this war. "There's nothing you can do."

**"You can't just cut yourself off from the other gods!"**

**"I've done very well at it for thousands of years."**

"That sounds lonely." Cara said uncertain if she should feel bad or not.

**"And has that made you feel any better?" Nico demanded. "Has that curse on the Oracle helped you at all?**

Rachel flinched at that, reminding herself again to never get on a gods bad side.

**Holding grudges is a fatal flaw. Bianca warned me about that, and she was right."**

**"For demigods! I am immortal, all-powerful! I would not help the other gods if they begged me, if Percy Jackson himself pleaded-"**

"Like that would ever happen." Percy cut in, but everyone was laughing at the idea of the gods and Percy begging on their knees in front of Hades.

**"You're just as much of an outcast as I am!" Nico yelled. "Stop being angry about it and do something helpful for once. That's the only way they'll respect you!"**

"True, true." Leila said. So far she thought Hades didn't deserve respect.

**Hades's palm filled with black fire.**

"He wouldn't kill his own son right?" Cara asked but she was hesitate. She wouldn't put anything below the gods.

**"Go ahead," Nico said. "Blast me. That's just what the other gods would expect from you. Prove them right."**

**"Yes, please," Demeter complained. "Shut him up."**

"Well isn't that nice." Todd snorted.

**Persephone sighed. "Oh, I don't know. I would rather fight in the war than eat another bowl of cereal. This is boring."**

"Finally." Andrew said throwing his hands up. "At least the lady sees sense."

**Hades roared in anger. His fireball hit a silver tree right next to Nico, melting it into a pool of liquid metal.**

**And my dream changed.**

"Whoopee." Carlos said. "Another dream, that will be filled with gum drops and candy canes."

**I was standing outside the United Nations, about a mile northeast of the Empire State Building. The Titan army had set up camp all around the UN complex.**

"Guess it was too much to ask for them to go running home to their mommies and forget about the war." Leila murmured.

**The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies-helmets and armor pieces from defeated campers.**

"That's sick!" Some people cried. But what would you expect from monsters. At least they weren't hanging the bodies.

**All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkhines repaired armor at makeshift forges.**

**Kronos himself paced at the top of the plaza, swinging his scythe so his dracaenae bodyguards stayed way back.**

"Such a shame he's not stuck under that Giants butt anymore." Brett said. "Would have made everything easier.

**Ethan Nakamura and Prometheus stood nearby, out of slicing range.**

"Great," Todd said. "my two favorite people."

**Ethan was fidgeting with his shield straps, but Prometheus looked as calm and collected as ever in his tuxedo.**

"The little creep." Cara muttered. She hated him.

**"I hate this place," Kronos growled. "United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite.**

"Hey!" The mortals cried in defense. "As if you could do any better."

**Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus."**

"Which will be never!" Andrew interjected.

**"Yes, lord." Prometheus smiled as if his master's anger amused him**.

"Probably did." Annabeth said.

**"Shall we tear down the stables in Central Park too? I know how much horses can annoy you."**

"Burn!" Some kids cheered.

**"Don't mock me, Prometheus! Those cursed centaurs will be sorry they interfered. I will feed them to the hellhounds, starting with that son of mine-that weakling Chiron."**

"Don't follow through on promises you can't keep." Percy scowled. It was bad enough being through the dream once but now twice.

**Prometheus shrugged. "That weakling destroyed an entire legion of telkhines with his arrows."**

"Who's side is he on?" Carlos muttered, but he was still right.

**Kronos swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half.**

"Some one is getting feisty." Brett said.

**The national colors of Brazil toppled into the army, squashing a dracaena.**

"Go Brazil!"

**"We will destroy them!" Kronos roared. "It is time to unleash the drakon.**

"That can't be good." Said Todd. "What's a drakon?" He didn't get an answer.

**Nakamura, you will do this."**

**"Y-yes, lord. At sunset?"**

**"No," Kronos said. "Immediately. The defenders of Olympus are badly wounded. They will not expect a quick attack.**

"Well now we will." Marisa said. Demigod dreams had there advantages.

**Besides, we know this drakon they cannot beat."**

"Why not?" Leila said with a sinking feeling.

**Ethan looked confused. "My lord?"**

"At least he's confused too." Nancy muttered. This whole book was confusing! At least one of those boring classics were straightforward.

**"Never you mind, Nakamura. Just do my bidding. I want Olympus in ruins by the time Typhon reaches New York. We will break the gods utterly!"**

"No way!" Leila said. She didn't particularly like the gods but they were better than the titans.

**"But, my lord," Ethan said. "Your regeneration." Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze.**

**"Does it seem," Kronos hissed, "that I need to regenerate?" Ethan didn't respond. Kind of hard to do when you're immobilized in time.**

"You don't say." Brett said dryly. He was waiting for some more fighting. That was the best.

**Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed.**

**"Soon," the Titan growled, "this form will be unnecessary.**

"Lets hope that's not any time soon." Marisa said. There would be no chance of winning if that happened.

**I will not rest with victory so close. Now, go!"**

**Ethan scrambled away.**

**"This is dangerous, my lord," Prometheus warned. "Do not be hasty."**

"Well I would be a little hasty after doing nothing for so long..." Todd said than shut up adter realizing he wasn't being helpful.

**"Hasty? After festering for three thousand years in the depths of Tartarus, you call me hasty? I will slice Percy Jackson into a thousand pieces."**

"It's nice to know I'm on evil beings personal lists." Percy piped up. And Annabeth nudged him as a warning. As his girlfriend and best friend it wasn't exactly nice to be reminded of that.

**"Thrice you've fought him," Prometheus pointed out. "And yet you've always said it is beneath the dignity of a Titan to fight a mere mortal.**

"Maybe I'm just special." Percy said with a shrug. Not that he wanted to be that special person...

I** wonder if your mortal host is influencing you, weakening your judgment."**

"Now that would be good." Leila said. Hey, you needed all the help you could get when you were losing.

**Kronos turned his golden eyes on "the other Titan. "You call me weak?"**

"He's not going to like that." Andrew said slowly. The Titan Lord was obviously used to people ( and monsters ) sucking up

to him.

**"No, my lord. I only meant-"**

**"Are your loyalties divided?" Kronos asked. "Perhaps you miss your old friends, the gods. Would you like to join them?" Prometheus paled.**

"We wouldn't want you anyway!" Brett huffed. He was a lying creep.

**"I misspoke, my lord. Your orders will be carried out." He turned to the armies and shouted, "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"**

Some boys cheered. Finally, there would be battle. The others were wondering if they could survive another attack.

**The troops began to stir.**

**From somewhere behind the UN compound, an angry roar shook the city-the sound of a drakon waking.**

Everyone paled and the people who didn't know what a drakon was knew it had to be bad.

**The noise was so horrible it woke me, and I realized I could still hear it from a mile away. Grover stood next to me, looking nervous. "What was that?"**

"Apparently a drakon." Todd said. "Whatever that is." Hopefully it wasn't as bad as a dragon.

**"They're coming," I told him. "And we're in trouble."**

"No duh." Brett said. They were always in trouble.

**The Hephaestus cabin was out of Greek fire. The Apollo cabin and the Hunters were scrounging for arrows. Most of us had already ingested so much ambrosia and nectar we didn't dare take any more. We had sixteen campers, fifteen Hunters, and half a dozen satyrs left in fighting shape. The rest had taken refuge on Olympus.**

"Can't the Party Ponies help?" Leila asked in uncertain.

**The Party Ponies tried to form ranks, but they staggered and giggled and they all smelled like root beer. The Texans were head-butting the Coloradoans. The Missouri branch was arguing with Illinois.**

"Well that escalated quickly." Andrew muttered. Great backup

**The chances were pretty good the whole army would end up fighting each other rather than the enemy.**

"Well than your screwed." Brett said. But something would come and save them... Right?

**Chiron trotted up with Rachel on his back. I felt a twinge of annoyance because Chiron rarely gave anyone a ride, and never a mortal.**

Rachel stuck her tongue out at Percy and laughed.

**"Your friend here has some useful insights, Percy," he said.**

**Rachel blushed. "Just some things I saw in my head."**

"Crazy." Brett said again, but made sure she couldn't hear. He didn't what the red head mad.

**"A drakon," Chiron said. "A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind."**

"Yeah!" A kid yelled sarcastically. "Isn't that just great?"

**I stared at her. "How did you know that?"**

**"I'm not sure," Rachel admitted. "But this drakon has a particular fate. It will be killed by a child of Ares."**

"Fresh out of those." Carlos said.

**Annabeth crossed her arms. "How just can you possibly know that?"**

"You know Athena's children aren't the only ones who know stuff." Rachel told Annabeth.

"Yeah well we certainly know more than a dumb red head mortal." She shot back and the class was surprised when they both started laughing.

**"I just saw it. I can't explain."**

"It would be great if someone could explain something." Marisa muttered.

**"Well, let's hope you're wrong," I said. "Because we're a little short on children of Ares. . . ." A horrible thought occurred to me, and I cursed in Ancient Greek.**

"I wish I can curse in a different language." Brett said sadly.

**"What?" Annabeth asked.**

**"The spy," I told her. "Kronos said, We know they cannot beat this drakon. The spy has been keeping him updated. Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't with us. He intentionally picked a monster we can't kill."**

"And this day just keeps getting better." Leila scowled. This spy was getting annoying. Hopefully they were caught soon.

**Thalia scowled. "If I ever catch your spy, he's going to be very sorry.**

Percy and Annabeth sighed.

**Maybe we could send another messenger to camp-"**

**"I've already done it," Chiron said. "Blackjack is on his way. But if Silena wasn't able to convince Clarisse, I doubt Blackjack will be able-"**

"And what was Blackjack supposed to do?" Marisa asked and was met by silence.

**A roar shook the ground. It sounded very close.**

**"Rachel," I said, "get inside the building."**

**"I want to stay."**

"Because staying with scary flesh eating monsters is super fun." Andrew said but admired Rachel's bravery.

**A shadow blotted out the sun.**

**Across the street, the drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.**

"That's not good." Cara said in fright. Whatever this was it wasn't good and what would happen if they couldn't get rid of it?

**"On second thought," Rachel said in a small voice, "I'll be inside."**

"You would run away too if you saw that thing!" Rachel cried in defense.

Before Paul could continue reading the bell rang, signaling next period.

~Next Day~

Mr. Blofis's English class were all sitting around waiting, talking with friends and catching up on missed homework they had been too busy and lazy to do the night before. They had been waiting for their teacher for a good ten minutes and Marisa was still trying to convince some kids to go tell another teacher when the door swung open and the familiar voice said, "Sorry I'm late but we had a little delay."

Following the English teacher in was a very annoyed Percy who was in a heated argument with a buff girl. Percy stopped arguing as they entered the classroom. "This is Clarisse." He told them. "Daughter of Ares." He said Daughter of Ares like it personally offended him.

Of course they recognized the name. They were also reminded of how at the moment the Ares cabin was refusing to aid them in the battle on Clarisse's order but any comment died on their lips. Clarisse was a lot scarier in person. With one last look at the mortals, Clarisse followed Percy to the back of the room where he sat. She didn't look happy about being there but seemed to be enjoying Percy's annoyance at her presence.

Finally Paul began to read, class officially beginning, finally.

**Let me explain:**

"Finally!" Todd cried, happy something would be explained.

t**here are dragons, and then there are drakons. Drakons are several millennia older than dragons, and much larger. They look like giant serpents. Most don't have wings. Most don't breathe fire (though some do). All are poisonous. All are immensely strong, with scales harder than titanium. Their eyes can paralyze you; not the turn-you~to-stone Medusa- type paralysis, but the oh~my~gods-that~big~snake~is~going~to~eat~me type of paralysis, which is just as bad.**

"Yikes." A girl said and the class was completely silent.

"So that's what a drakon is..." Todd mumbled. This was not good. Everyone was frozen in fright, happy for once they had been a sleep and not wandering the streets during the war. There was no other way to put it- this thing was scary.

"Wimps." Clarisse said. She had forgotten how weak mortals were.

**We have drakon-fighting classes at camp,**

"Is there anything you don't have at that camp?" Cara asked, but her voice came out as a squeak.

"Sugary food." Percy said in longing. Hey, when you were a teenage boy it was hard to go a whole summer with no candy or anything like that.

**but there is no way to prepare yourself for a two-hundred-foot-long serpent as thick as a school bus slithering down the side of a building, its yellow eyes like searchlights and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth big enough to chew elephants.**

Clarisse grunted realizing what part they were up to. She didn't want to read about that moment again but it's not like she could just leave. Well, she could but that would be cowardly.

**It almost made me long for the flying pig.**

"I would rather the flying pig." Andrew muttered.

**Meanwhile, the enemy army advanced down Fifth Avenue.**

"And it really helps that there's also an army to deal with." Leila said. What were they supposed to do? Even if Clarisse and her cabin came to the rescue would it be enough?

**We'd done our best to push cars out of the way to keep the mortals safe, but that just made it easier for our enemies to approach.**

It won't matter if Kronos wins, they would die either way, the mortals thought.

**Let me explain:**

"Finally!" Todd cried, happy something would be explained.

**there are dragons, and then there are drakons. Drakons are several millennia older than dragons, and much larger. They look like giant serpents. Most don't have wings. Most don't breathe fire (though some do). All are poisonous. All are immensely strong, with scales harder than titanium. Their eyes can paralyze you; not the turn-you~to-stone Medusa- type paralysis, but the oh~my~gods-that~big~snake~is~going~to~eat~me type of paralysis, which is just as bad.**

"Yikes." A girl said and the class was completely silent.

"So that's what a drakon is..." Todd mumbled. This was not good. Everyone was frozen in fright, happy for once they had been a sleep and not wandering the streets during the war. There was no other way to put it- this thing was scary.

"Wimps." Clarisse said. She had forgotten how weak mortals were.

**We have drakon-fighting classes at camp,**

"Is there anything you don't have at that camp?" Cara asked, but her voice came out as a squeak.

"Sugary food." Percy said in longing. Hey, when you were a teenage boy it was hard to go a whole summer with no candy or anything like that.

**but there is no way to prepare yourself for a two-hundred-foot-long serpent as thick as a school bus slithering down the side of a building, its yellow eyes like searchlights and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth big enough to chew elephants.**

Clarisse grunted realizing what part they were up to. She didn't want to read about that moment again but it's not like she could just leave. Well, she could but that would be cowardly.

**It almost made me long for the flying pig.**

"I would rather the flying pig." Andrew muttered.

**Meanwhile, the enemy army advanced down Fifth Avenue.**

"And it really helps that there's also an army to deal with." Leila said. What were they supposed to do? Even if Clarisse and her cabin came to the rescue would it be enough?

**We'd done our best to push cars out of the way to keep the mortals safe, but that just made it easier for our enemies to approach.**

It won't matter if Kronos wins, they would die either way, the mortals thought.

**The Party Ponies swished their tails nervously. Chiron galloped up and down their ranks, shouting encouragement to stand tough and think about victory and root beer,**

"Root beer," Brett said. "that sounds like a good reward to me."

**but I figured any second they would panic and run.**

"Might have helped before but there still cowards." Clarisse spat.

**"I'll take the drakon." My voice came out as a timid squeak.**

Clarisse snorted as well as some others.

**Then I yelled louder: "I'LL TAKE THE DRAKON!**

"Yeah, right like you could take a drakon, prissy." Clarisse snorted. Nancy had decided she liked this girl.

"Well I had no other choice if somebody refused to come to battle well every one else fought hard." Percy shot back. Clarisse didn't say anything back, just grumbled something under her breath about stupid kids of Poseidon.

**Everyone else, hold the line against the army!"**

**Annabeth stood next to me. She had pulled her owl helmet low over her face, but I could tell her eyes were red.**

"Great going." Clarisse snapped at Percy. After spending so much time with Silena she knew Percy was the one who had made Princess cry, and that was saying something.

**"Will you help me?" I asked.**

**"That's what I do," she said miserably. "I help my friends."**

"What did you do now, Prissy?" Clarisse asked and Percy just grumbled something in response.

**I felt like a complete jerk.**

"She's just jealous." Samantha said lightly well examining her nails.

**I wanted to pull her aside and explain that I didn't mean for Rachel to be here, that it wasn't my idea, but we had no time.**

So that's what they were fighting about, Clarisse thought.

**"Go invisible," I said. "Look for weak links in its armor while I keep it busy. Just be careful."**

**I whistled. "Mrs. O'Leary, heel!"**

"What?" Todd said. "I can't even train my dog and you can train a hellhound?"

**"ROOOF!" My hellhound leaped over a line of centaurs and gave me a kiss that smelled suspiciously of pepperoni pizza.**

Some kids laughed.

**I drew my sword and we charged the monster.**

"Probably without a plan." Marisa said under her breath.

**The drakon was three stories above us, slithering sideways along the building as it sized up our forces. Wherever it looked, centaurs froze in fear.**

"Well there goes the backup." Leila muttered.

**From the north, the enemy army crashed into the Party Ponies, and our lines broke.**

And everything begins to fall apart, the mortals thought.

**The drakon lashed out, swallowing three Californian centaurs in one gulp before I could even get close.**

Clarisse tried not to laugh. As the war god's daughter she knew there was nothing funny about war but it was hard not to laugh looking at the mortals terrified faces.

**Mrs. O'Leary launched herself through the air-a deadly black shadow with teeth and claws.**

The class shivered, remembering there own encounter with Mrs. O'Leary; not that she had looked all that scary with her tongue out and wagging her tail.

**Normally, a pouncing hellhound is a terrifying sight, but next to the drakon, Mrs. O'Leary looked like a child's night-night doll.**

"Oh uh." The drakon just seemed to scarier and scarier with every sentence.

**Her claws raked harmlessly off the drakon's scales. She bit the monster's throat but couldn't make a dent.**

If a hellhound couldn't make a dent then what good was a sword?, some thought in despair and doubt.

**Her weight, however, was enough to knock the drakon off the side of the building. It flailed awkwardly and crashed to the sidewalk, hellhound and serpent twisting and thrashing. The drakon tried to bite Mrs. O'Leary, but she was too close to the serpent's mouth. Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, but Mrs. O'Leary weaved around the serpent's head, Mrs. O'Leary weaved around the serpent's head, scratching and biting.**

"Go Mrs. O'Leary!" The class yelled and Clarisse rolled her eyes at the 'foolish mortals.'

**"YAAAH!" I plunged Riptide deep into the monster's left eye.**

The eye, Marisa thought. There was no armor there.

**The spotlight went dark. The drakon hissed and reared back to strike, but I rolled aside.**

**It bit a swimming-pool-size chunk out of the pavement.**

"So if I ever want an in-ground pool I'll just hire a drakon." Brett said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

**It turned toward me with its good eye, and I focused on its teeth so I wouldn't get paralyzed. Mrs. O'Leary did her best to cause a distraction. She leaped onto the serpent's head and scratched and growled like a really angry black wig.**

Clarisse snorted. Only Prissy.

**The rest of the battle wasn't going well.**

"Of course not." Clarisse said. "What do you expect when you go into battle without the war children?"

"And who's fault was that?" Percy snapped back.

"Well if -" Clarisse's tirade was stopped short by Paul as he continued to read not looking forward to another fight like the one that had happened in the car.

**The centaurs had panicked under the onslaught of giants and demons. An occasional orange camp T-shirt appeared in the sea of fighting, but quickly disappeared.**

This made Clarisse guilty, thinking about lives that could have been prevented if she had been there sooner.

**Arrows screamed. Fire exploded in waves across both armies, but the action was moving across the street to the entrance of the Empire State Building.**

What would happen if the got into Olympus? The class thought worriedly. Only destruction.

**We were losing ground.**

**Suddenly Annabeth materialized on the drakon's back. Her invisibility cap rolled off her head as she drove her bronze knife between a chink in the serpent's scales.**

Clarisse rolled her eyes at the classes cheers. It wouldn't be enough to kill it.

**The drakon roared. It coiled around, knocking Annabeth off its back. I reached her just as she hit the ground.**

"Ouch." Andrew winced. That had to hurt.

**I dragged her out of the way as the serpent rolled, crushing a lamppost right where she'd been.**

"Talk about close call." Cara grimaced.

**"Thanks," she said.**

**"I told you to be careful!"**

**"Yeah, well, DUCK!"**

**It was her turn to save me.**

"She's always saving you." Clarisse said.

"Can't argue with that." Percy agreed. They actually agreed on something!"

**She tackled me as the monster's teeth snapped above my head. Mrs. O'Leary body-slammed the drakon's face to get its attention, and we rolled out of the way. Meanwhile our allies had retreated to the doors of the Empire State Building. The entire enemy army was surrounding them.**

They needed help soon or else the drakon would be the least of their problems. What else was knew.

**We were out of options. No more help was coming. Annabeth and I would have to retreat before we were cut off from Mount Olympus. Then I heard a rumbling in the south.**

The Ares cabin, Marisa thought hopefully. If it wasn't them they were doomed.

**It wasn't a sound you hear much in New York,**

"Please," Brett said. "You hear every thing in New York."

**but I recognized it immediately: chariot wheels.**

"Oh. I take that back."

**A girl's voice yelled, "ARES!"**

The class cheered; it was the Ares cabin and that had to be Clarisse leading them. Some one to fight the drakon. Than why did Clarisse look so grim?

**And a dozen war chariots charged into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head. Each was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty fresh warriors, armor gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as onemaking a bristling wall of death.**

Clarisse huffed proudly for a moment at her cabin. No one could defeat them!

**"The children of Ares!" Annabeth said in amazement. "How did Rachel know?"**

Marisa and some others groaned at the mystery that surrounded Rachel.

**I didn't have an answer. But leading the charge was a girl in familiar red armor, her face covered by a boar's-head helm. She held aloft a spear that crackled with electricity. Clarisse herself had come to the rescue.**

The mortals gave Clarisse confused looks. Why was she acting so... Tense, for lack of a better word. Shouldn't she be proud like she had come to the rescue? Clarisse seemed like that kind of person.

**While half her chariots charged, the monster army, Clarisse led the other six straight for the drakon.**

"I can never decide if demigods are brave or stupid." Carlos said, low enough so Clarisse couldn't hear.

**The serpent reared back and managed to throw off Mrs. O'Leary. My poor pet hit the side of the building with a yelp. I ran to help her, but the serpent had already zeroed in on the new threat. Even with only one eye, its glare was enough to paralyze two chariot drivers.**

Clarisse was now grinding her teeth with the onslaught of bad memories.

**They veered into a line of cars. The other four chariots kept charging. The monster bared its fangs to strike and got a mouthful of Celestial bronze javelins.**

"Who!" Maybe they could beat it, they thought trying to ignore Clarisse's odd behavior.

**"EEESSSSS!" it screamed, which is probably drakon for OWWWW!**

Some people laughed, most were absorbed in the battle.

**"Ares, to me!" Clarisse screamed.**

The class once again at the Clarisse seemed to wince at that...

**Her voice sounded shriller than usual, but I guess that wasn't surprising given what she was fighting.**

Clarisse shot Percy a look. She never showed fear. She went to a camp of idiots, even her own cabin mates.

**Across the street, the arrival of six chariots gave the Party Ponies new hope. They rallied at the doors of the Empire State Building, and the enemy army was momentarily thrown into confusion.**

Things were starting to become more hopeful, Leila thought, but nothing ever went right.

**Meanwhile, Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots overturned, but the warriors simply leaped to their feet, drew their swords, and went to work. They hacked at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they had.**

The mortals shivered. The Ares cabin was a force to be reckoned with. If only they had shown up earlier.

**No one could say the Ares campers weren't brave.**

"You got that right." Clarisse huffed.

**Clarisse was right there in front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye.**

Clarisse sighed. Silena had been stronger than given credit.

**But as I watched, things started to go wrong.**

"Of course." Someone grumbled.

**The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armor melting.**

Clarisse gave a frustrated huff. If only she had just led her cabin to battle in the first place.

**"We have to help," Annabeth said.**

**She was right. I'd just been standing there frozen in amazement.**

Percy gave a sheepish shrug.

**Mrs. O'Leary tried to get up but yelped again. One of her paws was bleeding.**

Some girls cooed in sympathy, why was beyond Clarisse.

**"Stay back, girl," I told her. "You've done enough already." Annabeth and I jumped onto the monster's back and ran toward its head, trying to draw its attention away from Clarisse.**

**Her cabinmates threw javelins, most of which broke, but some lodged in the monster's teeth. It snapped its jaws together until its mouth was a mess of green blood, yellow foamy poison, and splintered weapons.**

"Eew." Some girls wrinkled their noses. The rest were waiting tense. The thing had to be killed soon or... Nothing good would happen.

**"You can do it!" I screamed at Clarisse. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"**

"But that's not a child of Ares." Clarisse murmured. Those who had heard became confused, than shook it off deciding they had heard wrong.

**Through her war helmet, I could only see her eyes-but I could tell something was wrong. Her blue eyes shone with fear.**

That was odd, they thought. Clarisse was fearless and... They cast her a not so subtle glance. She didn't have blue eyes. Clarisse was sitting straight her mouth in a grim line. She could have prevented Silena's death.

**Clarisse never looked like that. And she didn't have blue eyes.**

"But if it isn't you than who is it?" Todd finally asked. Even Paul was confused. Clarisse just shot him a withering glare and he shrunk away.

**"ARES!" she shouted, in that strangely shrill voice.**

Clarisse met everyone's curious looks causing them all to quickly look away. Only Marisa was remembering Rachel's words. A trick that ends in death.

**She leveled her spear and charged the drakon.**

"Idiot, idiot, idiot." Clarisse was cursing but so no one heard.

**"No," I muttered. "WAIT!"**

**But the monster looked down at her-almost in contempt-and spit poison directly in her face.**

The class gasped.

**She screamed and fell.**

And gasped again. Now they were certain it wasn't Clarisse, she was sitting right there. But than who was it?

They all shockingly kept quiet and asked no questions. It seemed Clarisse was about to snap.

**"Clarisse!" Annabeth jumped off the monster's back and ran to help, while the other Ares campers tried to defend their fallen counselor.**

How had the Ares cabin not realized that wasn't Clarisse? Nancy thought. Well the myths were right about something. Ares was stupid and apparently so were his children. Nancy kept that to herself sure if she voiced her thoughts, Clarisse would tip her to shreds.

**I drove Riptide between two of the creature's scales and managed to turn its attention on me.**

**I got thrown but I landed on my feet.**

"Like a cat." Cara said.

**"C'MON, you stupid worm! Look at me!"**

"You need better insults." Clarisse said gruffly.

**For the next several minutes, all I saw were teeth. I retreated and dodged poison, but I couldn't hurt the thing.**

"That's a problem, considering you have to hurt it to kill it." Andrew said.

"But I can't kill it," Percy said.

Right you can't, Nancy thought. The idea was laughable.

"I'm not a child of Ares." People glanced over at Clarisse but there were no comments to that.

**At the edge of my vision, I saw a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue.**

Who could that be? And than it occurred to them for the first time if that wasn't Clarisse than where was she? Surely she wouldn't be following an imposter of herself.

**Then someone ran toward us. A girl's voice, shaken with grief, cried, "NO! Curse you, WHY"**

It was silent. It seemed Clarisse had finally come to the rescue.

**I dared to glance over, but what I saw made no sense. Clarisse was lying on the ground where she'd fallen. Her armor smoked with poison. Annabeth and the Ares campers were trying to unfasten her helmet. And kneeling next to them, her face blotchy with tears, was a girl in camp clothes. It was . . . Clarisse.**

"Mind blown." Todd said casting a glance at a furious Clarisse. He figured questions would not be welcome but it was all very very confusing.

**My head spun. Why hadn't I noticed before?**

"Yeah, why didn't you?"Clarisse shot back. If someone had noticed...

**The girl in Clarisse's armor was much thinner, not as tall. But why would someone pretend to be Clarisse?**

"That's what we all want to know." Hailey muttered.

**I was so stunned, the drakon almost snapped me in half. I dodged and the beast buried its head in a brick wall.**

"That will hold it off for a little bit." Marisa said in a very know it all voice.

**"WHY?" The real Clarisse demanded, holding the other girl in her arms while the campers struggled to remove the poison-corroded helmet.**

"So they can fight monsters, but can't take off a helmet." Andrew said. "Seems about right."

**Chris Rodriguez ran over from the flying chariot. He and Clarisse must've ridden it here from camp, chasing the Ares campers, who'd mistakenly been following the other girl, thinking she was Clarisse.**

"Idiots," Clarisse cursed again.

**But it still made no sense.**

"Why does it take so long for things to be explained?" Hailey muttered. This book was all very confusing.

**The drakon tugged its head from the brick wall and screamed in rage.**

"Someone's angry." And an angry drakon was not good.

**"Look out!" Chris warned.**

**Instead of turning toward me, the drakon whirled toward the sound of Chris's voice. It bared its fangs at the group of demigods.**

"It's like a buffet for monsters!" Brett cried, hoping for a laugh but most were still trying to figure everything out.

**The real Clarisse looked up at the drakon, her face filled with absolute hate. I'd seen a look that intense only once before. Her father, Ares, had worn the same expression when I'd fought him in single combat.**

The class already knew about it, hearing it from Nico once but it was still a shock to hear again. Clarisse glared at him. The little punk. He had disgraced her fathers name!

Nancy was rolling her eyes. He probably lost, she thought. No way could Jackson beat a god. No way.

**"YOU WANT DEATH?" Clarisse screamed at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!"**

The class leaned forward ready for more action. Clarisse was awfully brave, she didn't even have armor.

**She grabbed her spear from the fallen girl. With no armor or shield, she charged the drakon.**

"Wooh!" The class hooted and Clarisse smiled smugly. She had gotten a small bit of revenge than.

**I tried to close the distance to help, but Clarisse was faster. She leaped aside as the monster struck, pulverizing the ground in front of her. Then she jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into its good eye with so much force it shattered the shaft, releasing all of the magic weapon's power.**

Everyone's mouth was gaping, listening intently.

**Electricity arced across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Clarisse jumped free, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth. The drakon's flesh dissolved, and it collapsed into a hollow scaly tunnel of armor.**

"Wo." Was all anyone managed to say. Clarisse snorted at there awe faces. Prissy isn't all that, she thought. Apparently they had assumed Percy was the only one who could fight.

Nancy smirked. Compared to other demigods he was probably average, she thought. It made her feel a lot better even though a small part of her knew that wasn't true.

The rest of us stared at Clarisse in awe. I had never seen anyone take down such a huge monster single-handedly.

"And don't you forget it!" Clarisse huffed. Ares deserved pride.

**But Clarisse didn't seem to care. She ran back to the wounded girl who'd stolen her armor.**

The awe and excitement slipped away, remembering the mystery.

**Finally Annabeth managed to remove the girl's helmet. We all gathered around: the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Annabeth, and me. The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except our small circle and the fallen girl. Her features, once beautiful, were badly burned from poison. I could tell that no amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her. Something is about to happen. Rachel's words rang in my ears. A trick that ends in death.**

**Now I knew what she meant, and I knew who had led the Ares cabin into battle.**

**I looked down at the dying face of Silena Beauregard.**

.

**Okay, so I'm sorry about the extremely long wait. I meant to get this chapter up, like four days ago, but something happened and I had to go through it and re bold everything and I just never got the chance to sit down and go through it. I think this is the longest chapter yet. **

**Again I'm sorry for the lack of Nancy. I keep forgetting she's there so please excuse that. Hopefully she will be more involved in future chapters. And a lot of you said yes to the one-shot where you'll get a lot more of Nancy's thoughts, but I'm stuck. Any ideas? **

**So, I around like 900 reviews and when we get to 1k I want to do something special but I don't know what. Ideas?**

**On a side note because lacrosse is over and now i have basketball camp at this college and they have a Quidditch team there no joke. I think i need to go to school there. **

**Anyway like? Hate? If I don't get the next chapter up by August 3, you'll have to wait until the 13th because i'll be on vacation. Review! Poseidon next chapter!**


End file.
